


A Twisted Game

by shadow_oblivion



Category: One Piece
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Assassination, Because of Reasons, Blood and Gore, Drowning, Drugs, Ghosts, Illegal Activities, Knifeplay, Light Bondage, M/M, Messed up realities, Mind Games, Possession, Psychological Horror, Romance, Shameless Smut, dub con, non con, two Kids and two Laws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-05-12 00:30:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 56
Words: 251,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5647354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_oblivion/pseuds/shadow_oblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have been wanting to revise this fic for a while and finally just want to do it.  It probably will still have some flaws, but I figure that's as good a reason as any to post revisions (and plus I like kidlaw/lawkid).  And for people's information, this fic hit past 250,000 words on ffn and will likely be longer as I revise it to make it flow better and not drag as much (hopefully).</p>
<p>So, unless there is a problem with a really long fic, I'll just go ahead and start posting it.  It isn't until around ch 27 when the new section of the fic begins, so if, for some reason, people think I should split the fic into manageable chunks of a story, let me know.  Otherwise, I'll go ahead and just start posting the revised version, and put in the chapter title when the story shifts in direction.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> I have been wanting to revise this fic for a while and finally just want to do it. It probably will still have some flaws, but I figure that's as good a reason as any to post revisions (and plus I like kidlaw/lawkid). And for people's information, this fic hit past 250,000 words on ffn and will likely be longer as I revise it to make it flow better and not drag as much (hopefully).
> 
> So, unless there is a problem with a really long fic, I'll just go ahead and start posting it. It isn't until around ch 27 when the new section of the fic begins, so if, for some reason, people think I should split the fic into manageable chunks of a story, let me know. Otherwise, I'll go ahead and just start posting the revised version, and put in the chapter title when the story shifts in direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from One Piece.

Kid collapsed onto the ground with a grunt of pain, and lie where he had fallen as he gasped for air. He still managed to let out a wheeze of amusement at his lover's actions. Fucking bastard just loved to drag him outside of his house sometimes to play another of their little twisted games.

One that was nearly as dangerous as the one they had been playing before in the cellar of Kid's house.

Kid struggled to fight down whatever pain he happened to be feeling, but the redhead still couldn't help but feel irked that Law hadn't given him very much time to recover from their earlier session that night. Ten minutes was not adequate, no matter what the dark haired doctor said. Kid highly doubted that a normal person could keep up with either himself or Law, and he had even said so to the other man.  It normally elicited a smirk from the doctor.

The red head rested his head against the ground and took in a deep breath, again blocking out the slight agony he was in from all of the superficial wounds he had received from one of Law's scalpels.

"If you can lie there smiling, why don't you get up already? I do have work in the morning, you know."

Kid managed to choke out another laugh at that, "Shut the fuck up, or else." Law really did enjoy pressing his buttons, and one of them was to imply that he had better things to do than be with him. Like going to work and operating on people. And even if both of them knew it was a lie and knew that Law would much rather play with his lover, it still annoyed Kid to no end to be dismissed as such.

Law wasn't phased in the least bit. Instead, he almost looked bored as he spoke dryly in return, "Hmm, quite the threat. What will you do if I don't get up and come over here?"

Kid lifted his head at the half amused, half dark query, but didn't respond. Not right away. Kid needed to get his breath back under control before he did any verbal sparring with Law. Even if he almost always lost them. The redhead propped himself up on his right forearm and studied Law silently. The other man stood several feet away, and much to Kid's approval, was still only wearing a pair of pants that looked to be dangerously close to falling off again. Kid grinned at that, thinking he'd like to tug them down the rest of the way but it reminded him that _someone_ didn't seem to mind the chill in the air. Kid was already inwardly cursing himself for only wearing pants as well. He chilled far more easily than his lover, and hated cold weather in general, which Law always teased him for.

Kid eyed Law silently, and he could soon make out in the dim of the night that the surgeon was looking down at him with a sly smirk. Calm, waiting. Kid returned the smirk wearily with a grin of his own. Law already knew the answer to his own questions, but still amused himself by asking either way. Kid managed to force himself upright the rest of the way, despite all of the small yet many wounds that had been piled onto him during their first two sessions that night. Kidd could still feel some of the cuts bleeding, and he was sore in other places too.  Law was merciless when it had been his turn to fuck him, but at the very least the dark haired doctor had been generous with the lube that night.

The red haired man leveled a mock glare at Law, as he knew he was expected to answer the question anyway, "If I told you I'd get up and take you back to bed to fuck you into the mattress and bite you like I did before, would that answer your question?"

Law watched his lover's slow progress across the grass toward him, his smirk almost becoming a leer, "With the state you're in right now, I highly doubt you have the energy to do so.  But I'd welcome the attempt." The dark haired doctor was silent for a moment, before he asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to...take care of you again? You certainly seemed to enjoy it at the time."

"Maybe that was because you gagged me?" Kid locked eyes with the man standing a few feet away, and, keeping his eyes on Law, offered his lover a wicked, albeit exhausted, smile, "I guess you would've stopped if you noticed it hurt too much." That earned Kid a pleased smile from Law, and the redhead knew where this night was going, and Kid just loved the way his lover's warped mind worked if he was right. It would certainly mean that Kid wasn't going to be dominating Law any more that night, and it really didn't bother Kid all that much. He would just make sure he got the time to do so some other day. Kid tilted his head slightly, thinking, before he added, with a childish grin, "Are you going to be nice to me later?"

"Aren't I always?"

Kid grinned wider at that, because he heard the obvious amusement that was in the other man's tone. Law's warped sense of humor, among other things, was one of the reasons that Kid had been attracted to the dark haired doctor in the first place. That, and the fact that the first time they'd met one another, Law had stared at him all day on the deck of his ship with an intense, calculating look. It had become distracting enough that Kid had to have his crew send the other man below deck, until Kid decided what to do with him. It hadn't taken all that long, with the way Law had encouraged him later that night.

The red head started to move toward Law again, his thoughts locked on to that day. Of all the people Kid had been with, Law had been the only one who wanted to play with him after their first violent night. Kid had honestly been surprised to wake up in the morning to find Law curled up next to him, still fast asleep, and not gone, as the redhead had expected him to be. Most of the lovers Kid had come across in the past had either run off the next morning, or ended up dead because they couldn't take the intensity and the occasional damage he dealt out.

Kid staggered forward a few more feet, toward Law, since it was obvious from the other man's face that he was quite content to wait for Kid to move under his own power before doing anything else. Kid stubbornly walked toward the dark haired doctor, encouraged by the dark smile aimed his way, before his damn body decided that it was too wounded and weary to continue on. With a curse, Kid stumbled to a halt, and swayed in place as he tried to get his breath further under control. The wave of dizziness that hit him didn't help, and Kid was sure that he would have fallen to the ground had Law not decided to come forward and help him out after all.

The red head vaguely heard his lover steal up behind him, before one of Law's slender arms looped around his waist and helped him along. Kid's smile darkened. Law was only helping him along to the next stage of their 'game'. It was something that Kid didn't particularly like, but since he knew that Law enjoyed it, the redhead allowed it on occasion. Kid peeked out of the corner of his eye, and knew from the smirk across Law's face that he was going to be getting quite a payback for biting him so roughly earlier on while Kid had taken a turn to top.

Kid knew that must have blacked out for only a moment, because the next thing he knew, Law's lips were on his and his lover's tongue had delved past his parted lips to engage in a breathless, delicious kiss. Kid smiled into the kiss, knowing that Law was merely trying to make it hard for him to have much breath left in him to hold when he was forced underwater. Kid reached up and slid his right hand through Law's hair, where it came to rest at the back of his head. The redhead titled his head to continue the kiss, and heard the other man laugh softly into it. Kid closed his eyes. He was too tired to get into an argument right now, so he didn't say anything when Law pulled away from him.

Kid was disappointed, but not overly bothered, because he could tell that Law was getting excited by the mere thought of what he was going to do next. Kidd rolled his eyes at his lover, "Try not to drown me this time. I thought I'd be coughing up water for the week after the last time."

"You're complaining again." Law noted lightly, hand trailing absently along one of the wounds on Kid's chest.  "But you're cute when you're nervous."

Kid would have snapped back a response at the 'cute' comment had Law not shoved that hand hard into the chest, and sent him flailing backwards into the pond. Kid hit the water with a loud curse and a splash. The red head had a moment to think that perhaps it had been a bad idea to get a house that had a small pond in the back when he remembered that he couldn't swim. He always seemed to forget that fact until he was faced with a situation that starkly reminded him of that fact. Kid flailed for a moment, before he felt a slim hand dig into his hair. Kid spit out some water and looked up at Law. Kid spat out a little more water, missed Law by mere inches, and spoke irritably, "Seriously, don't do it for so long this time." Though the 'it makes my wounds sting' was left unsaid, Kid could tell by the other man's expression that he knew that. The red head's smirk mirrored the one on the doctor's face; both were anticipating the more dangerous aspects of their relationship.

Kid took a quick breath before he was shoved back under the water. He had caught glimpse of a rather psychotic grin as he went under. It didn't bother Kid. It only turned him on more knowing that his lover was getting aroused by taking away his air supply. If only it had the same effect on him, but it didn't. There was only the faint, lingering fear of drowning. A tiny part of Kid was still amused, however, by the thought of what Law's coworkers at the hospital would think of if they knew what their surgeon got up to when he wasn't working.

Kid only began to wonder if Law was going a little too far this time when he wasn't allowed up for some air. Had the dark haired man not listened to him? When the red haired man could no longer hold his breath, he panicked when he was forced to open his mouth underwater in a rush of air bubbles. The oxygen gone, Kid began to take in mouthfuls of the dirty pond water. Kid felt the hand in his hair tighten, forcing him to remain underwater. Kid thrashed, desperate for air. He just knew that Law had to be enjoying this, the sick fuck.

It was sometimes annoying that the other derived pleasure from nearly drowning him on occasion. The red head was so going to find something to do to Law in retaliation for this. It was worse than some of the other times it had happened.  Kid's vision began to go dark. What the fuck did Law think he was doing? Kid tried one more to force himself up, but failed, his body not responding to what his mind was trying to get it to do.

Kid felt the hand in his hair jerk away, as if something had distracted the dark haired doctor. Kid's panic deepened now that there was nothing to prevent him from sinking further beneath the surface. What the hell? Why had Law let go of him? Was he going to join him in the water and try to give him CPR underwater? Kid wouldn't put it past the doctor to try to do that, if only to sneak in a kiss for the hell of it before surfacing with him.

The redhead could have sworn that he had heard something going on just above the surface. But he wasn't above the water. He was still below it, and desperately clawing upward wasn't doing anything as more pond water was forced in through his mouth.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't _breathe_.

Disoriented, Kid tried one more time to try and flail his way to the surface, hands desperately scrabbling through the water, but found it harder to move, harder to focus, until finally…

-x-

Kid sat bolt upright in bed, taking in a shuddering, harsh gasp of air as he whipped his head back and forth wildly. He only relaxed marginally when he latched on to the fact that he was not underwater anymore, and he was, in fact, in bed. He was also quite dry, and not sopping wet as he imagined himself to be. Kid ran a shaky hand through messy red hair as he let out a slow sigh. That had been an uncomfortably realistic dream. Kid glanced to the side, where he fully expected to see Law ready to tease him about having a nightmare. Kid scowled at the empty side of the bed that Law usually occupied instead.

All alone.

Kid snorted, unsurprised. If Law had been in bed with him before he'd drifted off and had that fucking dream of drowning, it was not at all out of the ordinary for the man. It just figured that that bastard would leave him before he woke up. Kid lay back down and stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom moodily. He didn't hold it much against Law for leaving before he'd awoken. He'd done it before, after all. Worn him out and then left without a word. The red head knew that Law would come back. Kid knew that the doctor enjoyed their time together, and the thrills and the danger that came along with it with each passing day.

Kid stretched out, yawning widely. His lover could play doctor all he wanted, but Kid knew that he would always come back to him.

Only, he didn't.

Kid scowled again, checking the clock. It was past midnight.

Forget Law leaving him in the middle of the night. The bastard hadn't even had the decency to show up while Kid had been having the nightmare.

Kid frowned in thought. It was a little odd.

Law was late.

Very late.

Kid thought about it for a moment longer, before he snorted softly and sat up on the bed. He supposed he was unsurprised by the fact that Law hadn't come to his house yet. Kid shifted slightly as a thought came to mind at a potential reason that Law hadn't yet shown up. One that he didn't really want to think was still possible, after what he and Law had done to make sure that the older man wouldn't be around.

Doflamingo.

Kid considered the possibility, but dismissed the usually grinning blond haired man as a reason that Law hadn't yet shown up. Mainly because there were other perfectly acceptable reasons for the late arrival. Law having to work late at the hospital was one of those reasons. Even with that more than reasonable explanation, Kid still couldn't help but have a little paranoia that Doflamingo would somehow come back from the dead and go after Law again. Kid dismissed that thought as well. People didn't come back from the dead just like that. Unless they hadn't really died, Kid supposed, and that was something he did not want to consider. Doflamingo had to be dead, after what he and Law had done to him. Kid let out an irritated growl. He hated that he was sitting on his bed like an idiot, worrying about his lover, when he knew that Law was perfectly capable of taking care of himself so long as he paid attention to his surroundings.

Kid rolled his shoulders absently as he got up off the bed and wandered over to the window. Kid was fairly certain that he was worrying over nothing, and Law would make fun of him if the doctor ever realized he was worrying about him in the first place. Kid didn't expect Law to stop by his house every day anyway. Law appeared to have a life in the city, which included visiting Kid, but due to the dark haired doctor's job, he could be expected to work odd hours on occasion, depending on when the hospital needed him to come in to perform surgery. Kid turned away from the window. It was a stupid thing to do anyway. Just staring out of the window wasn't going to make the dark haired doctor get to his house any faster.

Not that Law would have been bothered to hurry over even if he did get off of work early, the sly son of a bitch. He had to have known that it drove Kid up the wall when he would casually show up late in the night and in bed with him.

And do absolutely nothing but sleep.

Naked.

Or, on the occasions when Law wasn't tired, he would wake Kid up, and things would get very interesting, for both of them.

Kid dropped backward onto the bed again with a sigh of irritation, and stared up at the ceiling once more. Well, Kid supposed that was the case if he wasn't the one who would be the one to start something. It had been Kid that had been the one to initiate his and the doctor's occasional encounters in the beginning. Hell, the first time they'd slept together had been the night after Kid and his crew had dragged Law's sorry ass out of the sea in a net with a bunch of fish, which had led the sopping wet dark haired doctor to eye Kid for hours on end, as if he were trying to decide on something.

Kid grinned to himself. That had been an interesting way of meeting someone, and more so when the sneaky bastard had snuck up out of the brigs of the ship and into his cabin. That had been a rather hot night, and Kid was intrigued with Law even before the other man had opened it up to him that he was interested in more than just a conversation about being taken to the nearby port. They'd talked all right, the next morning, as both had been too exhausted to do much more that night. Kid had enjoyed that night, all right, but really liked what had happened after he'd dropped Law off at the port the next morning.

Having Law show up on his ship two nights later and smiling like a loon as he jumped a half asleep Kid. The redhead had returned the favor by waking up the entire crew and having to crack some skulls to get the laughter to stop at the crew finding him in a compromising position with Law, who was just as entertained as the rest of the crew.

That was, of course, long before the good doctor decided to show the Kid that he was just as twisted, if not more so, than the redhead himself. And Law had shown that side of himself when they had gone to Kid's house a few months after their first meeting. As if Law had needed some time to gage Kid before deciding, however little, to open up to the redhead.

Kid hadn't complained one bit. In fact, he was quite pleased that Law had turned out to be such a twisted individual. It made for interesting sex, if nothing else. And having a house in the city was far more convenient than meeting on his ship and potentially getting loud enough to startle the rest of the crew into wakefulness. Kid was just waiting for one of his crewmates to made some snide comment, but apparently none of them dared to, even if he did catch an occasional snicker when he walked off the ship at a quick pace. Or when Law decided to meet him on the ship and make a show, to which Kid would hastily usher him off the ship.

Kid turned over, thinking about the past two years. His and Law's relationship had started off slowly, before they met more frequently. Sometimes things would get very violent, and as soon as the two of them realized just how much they got off on causing one another physical harm, they decided they would meet more often. Kid kept his eyes closed, trying to drift back off, but the nightmare he'd had wasn't letting him go. The red head almost felt as if Law was lying in bed with him, even though he hadn't heard any of the doors open. Kid started when he thought he felt a light touch on his right arm, but when he opened his eyes to look, there was no one there, and he was still all alone in bed. Kid knew he must have been tired when he thought he heard a voice, and presumed it was because he was thinking about Law so much.

Kid really did enjoy their little encounters more than he would admit. After all, every single one brought out more of a monster in each of them, and the fact that it didn't bother either of them made it even better. The decision to become lovers full time was when the real fun had begun. After that, there was no stopping either of them from going further than most would dare.

Until one day it did go a bit father than either of them had anticipated.

Kid got out of bed at that thought, deciding he couldn't get back to sleep after all. It was that damn dream. The one he'd nearly drowned in. Perhaps it had only been yesterday that he and Law had done that. It would explain why the dream had been so realistic. Kid could also still see some marks on his skin from what had happened before that, when Law had been methodically cutting him with his scalpel. Kid frowned, before he decided that he wasn't going to think about such unpleasant things. He'd only let Law pretend drown him because he knew the dark haired man enjoyed it, for whatever reason, and the fact that Law would watch Kid flail his way out to the edge of the pond or whatever water source they were near, because the red head hadn't bothered to learn how to swim. Something Law would continually remind him might be a good idea.

Kid exited his room, still unsurprised by the fact that his dark haired lover hadn't come slinking back yet. Or not. Perhaps he'd been asleep longer than he'd thought, and Law just hadn't arrived back from work yet. Besides, the smart bastard probably already knew what Kid had planned for revenge in response to almost drowning him. Kid glanced over the railing of the second floor, and paused mid-step, frowning. He could have sworn he had seen movement on the first floor, and a door closing. Odd, he hadn't heard it open in the first place.

The redhead carefully eyed the lower floor from where he was standing, and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Kid thought he felt someone walk behind him, but when he looked, no one was there. Kid shook his head and turned back to surveying the lower floor. Kid's eyes swept past the small door that led to the cellar, only to have his eyes quickly fix on the door again with a surprised gasp, before Kid's shoulders drooped with disappointment. He could have sworn he saw Law standing in front of the door with a playful smirk, but now that he was really looking, Kid didn't see anyone.

Kid scoffed as he looked away and headed for the stairs. He hated the fact that he was overly bothered by Law's absence, even if it was normal for the man to not be around all the time.  It was still annoying, but not out of the norm.

Law loved to do this to him. Pay attention to him for days in a row, which only made Kid want more of the dark haired doctor, only to be disappointed for a few days by the other man's sudden and unexplained absence. And Law knew, as well as Kid, that the redhead wasn't going to go chasing after him unless the doctor gave him a reason to do so.

A reason like Doflamingo, but as Kid highly doubted that was the case this time around, he didn't let Law's absence effect him.

Kid still wasn't bothered all too much by Law's absence for the first week. He'd been gone longer than that before. It wasn't anything to worry about.

It was only when weeks turned into months that Kid began to wonder where the fuck Law had gotten to.

Even more time passed, and by that point, Kid had stopped keeping track of how long it had been since he had last seen Law. The redhead could only ponder why his lover was taking so long to come back. Kid had even begun to try and figure out if he had done something wrong that would make the doctor stay away from him. He hadn't remembered doing anything that Law had disliked, and Kid was positive he would have seen or heard something if the man he believed dead had somehow come back to life. People would be hard pressed not to notice Doflamingo's presence, after all, because the older man always made sure to make himself known when he felt the need.

And he hadn't for however long Kid had been waiting on Law to come to his home. It was still aggravating to not see the dark haired man, but Kid was appeased by the idea that Doflamingo still hadn't been sighted, which meant he and Law had managed to kill the bastard after all.

-x-

Kid reclined on a chair in his living room, and lifted a hand to stifle a bit of a rattling, and rather wet, cough. Kid frowned. Maybe he'd ingested a lot more water than he'd thought, and Law hadn't gotten it all out of him after doing CPR. Kid's frown deepened. That didn't seem right though, considering the incident had happened months ago. At least, Kid thought it had been that long, but he hadn't really kept track of the time lately. Kid scowled in displeasure. He had better not be getting sick. That would fucking suck, and was completely unacceptable. He never got sick, and besides, Law wasn't around to take care of him. Kid had to smile at that. Oh, Law would take care of him if he ever ended up sick, and Kid had to wonder if it would be worth it, considering what the dark haired man might do to take advantage of his momentary weakness due to illness.

The red haired man glanced out a window as he dropped his hand to his side and considered that. He wouldn't have minded if Law decided to play a little game with him if he were sick, but that would entail the son of a bitch actually showing his face. Kid let out an irritated huff, looking away from the window from where he was seated. He did wonder where Law had gotten to, but he would wait for as long as necessary to find out. As long as the doctor wasn't breaking things off with him, Kid could be very patient when he wanted to be. Kid bared his teeth in an amusement at both thoughts. No one 'broke up' with Eustass Kid, unless they had a death wish. Law certainly seemed to have one, but had joked around that it wouldn't be Kid that would kill him, but someone realizing that he'd been pawning off patient organs when no one was checking on the deceased. That he had said it while they were screwing one another in a shabby, rundown inn, Kid couldn't take him very seriously.

Kid closed his eyes, his smile becoming a nasty smirk.

No, Law definitely wasn't one to break ties off out of the blue. He would come back, one way or another. That Kid knew for certain. He had seen it in the other man's eyes. The doctor may have kept his past to himself, but Kid knew the basic facts about the other man. He lived in the city, after all, so it wasn't like he was going to go very far. Kid shook his head. Thinking about his lover's past gave him headaches, so he stopped doing it. Kid preferred to focus on the present in any case. Whatever had happened in the past was there to stay, and had no business interrupting his day to day activities. It wasn't like the past was going to come back to haunt him anyway.

Kid glanced down at his left arm, his smirk deepening. Well, not everything, he guessed. There were some physical reminders of the past, and Kid knew that those would always come back to bite him in the ass. The redhead clenched and unclenched his artificial left limb's hand, before he let it hang at his side. It still hurt sometimes, where the metal was attached to the skin, but the memory of how he had gotten it had been worth the lingering pain he felt from time to time.  Kid glanced about the living room silently as he thought about his arm, and the phantom pain that still lingered. Another souvenir from one of his and Law's sick games. The redhead snorted derisively as he got up and left the living room, to go to his bedroom upstairs. Kid knew that there was no way in hell he would ever be able to forget about that, and as painful as it had been, he had seen just how much Law had enjoyed himself. Sadistic fucking asshole had been turned on at the sight. Kid rolled his other shoulder to counteract the slight tugging he became aware of from the left one.

The red head stared at the metal arm silently from the corner of his eye, before he wandered into his bedroom. At least the doctor had managed to find something that more or less functioned as a limb. Kid clenched the hand into a fist. He and the doctor were going to have a long 'chat' when he finally showed his face again. There was no excuse for Law to keep him waiting for so long.

Kid let out a low, and very dark, laugh. That 'chat' wouldn't bother either of them, though his lover might come out a bit more wounded than he might have normally expected. He wouldn't mind. Kid knew that he and Law were both very twisted individuals, who enjoyed their dangerous and almost always potentially lethal attraction to one another.  Kid closed his eyes. He would surprise Law by not going out to hunt for him. It'd be a laugh when the doctor came back, and realized that Kid had been waiting for him to return all this time. Kid didn't care how long it would take.

It was their sick, twisted little game and theirs alone. Kid would let no one and nothing change that.

Not even time would prevent Kid from exacting well deserved revenge against the doctor. He wasn't about to let Law get away with nearly drowning him this time around. It had been much closer than the previous few times, and Kid had had enough of it. Enough that he needed to make very clear that while it was never going to happen again, Kid was more than open to other things.

Kid _would_ see his sadistic lover again. He just had to go through the boring phase of waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting some more.

Kid found himself to be doing a lot of that, it seemed, and he grew to hate it the longer he was forced to go through each day without any sign of the doctor returning.

Oh, there were the odd touches now and then, but Kid believed he'd been imagining them, because he never saw anyone around when he looked to see if there was anyone there.

So he waited, along with the imagined touches and the faint whispers of voices that Kid presumed were all in his head from being alone for so long.

Kid kept waiting, and waiting some more.

The red haired man always found himself waiting, until finally, _finally_ , Kid reached the day that he didn't have to wait anymore, because the redhead caught sight of his lover after such a long time. Kid saw him standing just outside the front door, as if he was about to walk inside as though he owned the place.

Kid tapped the windowsill impatiently. After being forced to wait so long, Kid didn't particularly give a fuck where the son of a bitch had run off to. All that mattered was that the doctor had finally come back to him. It didn't matter to the red head that all he was likely to get was a secretive and wry smile in response to any attempts to figure out where he had been all this time. Kid just knew, at that point in time, that he wasn't going to ever let Law out of his sight again. Kid was never going to go through all of that waiting and wondering ever again.

Never again would he be so patient.

Kid wouldn't let go now, no matter what story Law happened to come up with for why he'd taken so damn long to return. Kid was never going to wait for so long ever again. It had been torture. Amber eyes that looked out of the bedroom window narrowed as they bore into the figure standing on the sidewalk.

Law had no idea just how much he'd upset him.

Kid's lips quirked into a nasty grin. But the dark haired man would know as soon as he walked inside the house. Kid was not at all amused by Law's long absence, and it would reflect in how the redhead planned to treat his wayward, and now returned, lover.

It was a game, after all. One that Kid enjoyed winning as often as he could.


	2. Part One: Renters Beware

Rumors were a bitch.

And it was entirely Doflamingo's fault that they existed in the first place. And those rumors only grew worse when the older man had insisted on this rather sudden decision for Law to move back to the city that he had grown up in. Doflamingo had said it was because there were two hospitals of good reputation that were in need of surgeon right now, and that they were likely to hire him at a drop of the hat if he showed up and applied. Law, having just returned home after several hours of temporary work, had bluntly told the blond haired man that it seemed more like an attempt to get him closer to home than he had been on and off for the past ten years. Doflamingo had still been laughing when Law had hung up on him.

Law drummed his fingers against the top of his lone suitcase. That Doflamingo had neither denied nor confirmed his, if any, ulterior motives made Law believe he'd hit the nail on the head. The dark haired doctor knew that he should have known better than to agree to this so readily. He hadn't even gotten the job yet, and there was no guarantee that he would get it just by living nearby. No matter what Doflamingo said. Law didn't even have much money left in reserve to pay rent at even the cheapest of places. Law tapped the suitcase more heavily for a moment, as something crossed his mind. He wondered if Doflamingo had thought that he would just spend time at his home until he made enough money to afford something of his own. While Law knew that he would have been more than welcome at Doflamingo's place, the dark haired doctor felt that he needed to be on his own. There was too much going on at the older man's mansion anyway on a daily basis that Law highly doubted he would be able to get a proper night's sleep. Not to mention the rumors would only continue to circulate if he happened to crash at his boss's home.

Law closed his eyes briefly. He really should have thought this over more than just the few minutes he had been given over the phone a week ago. It was impulsive and the dark haired man hoped that it would be worth it. Moving from one city to another was one thing, but moving to a city that happened to have your somewhat former boss living in it seemed to be a bit of a bad idea. And not only was he moving back to the city he grew up in, Law now found himself regretting agreeing to allow two teenagers to live with him for a short time. As soon as he had a place that he was renting, that is. Law really didn't know how he'd gotten talked into that, but as soon as a friend of a friend heard that he was moving back to the city, he'd been asked. And reluctantly agreed. He'd been called almost right after he'd gotten off the phone with Doflamingo about the possibility of the older man finding him a few cheaper places to rent in the city.

The dark haired surgeon let out a sigh as he cast a glance out the window of a taxi that he had taken from the airport. Not only did he have two teenagers to think about, but he also had to think about his afore mentioned boss. Law hadn't bothered calling Doflamingo yet, even though he was fairly certain the other would have offered to have someone come and pick him up. Law didn't want to have to owe any favors, however minor, and had hailed a taxi as soon as he had collected his suitcase and found his way out of the airport. At least the teenagers' grandfather wasn't offering to pick him up in his police car. Law would have found it amusing, however, considering how many times he had narrowly avoided being put into the back of one in the past.

Law eyed the passing surroundings with a bored look. The neighborhood he was being driven through looked to be fairly average. Not too fancy, but not at all run down like some of the places he had seen on the outskirts of the city on the way from the airport. Law dug a scrap of paper out of his pocket and looked it over. According to the address that he had been given, he was now only a little under a mile from his destination. Law glanced up at the cabby, "You can let me off here." Law was silent as the car pulled over, and he handed over some cash he'd had, before getting out of the car with his luggage.

As soon as the taxi was out of sight, Law began to walk along the sidewalk toward his destination. A house that he had been told was up for rent at a decent rate. Though the definition of decent rate could vary depending on what kind of money Doflamingo thought the dark haired doctor had available. Law started slightly at the ringing of his phone. He debated seriously on whether or not he wanted to answer it. He had heard it ring twice before, and Law was fairly certain of who it was. No doubt Doflamingo would have been able to figure out which plane he had taken, as well as when the plane had landed. Law deliberated a few moments more, before he answered the call, his voice calm, "I am surprised. Three calls? To what do I owe the honor of your attention? I was under the impression that you had better things to do than wonder whether I made it to the city yet or not."

Doflamingo laughed on the other end of the line, _"Fufufufu. How did you know it was me?"_

Law continued to walk along the sidewalk as he responded dryly, "Who else would be calling me as soon as my flight landed? No one else knew that I was coming today except for you."

_"I guess so."_ Doflamingo laughed again, his voice curious,  _"I suppose you've already left the airport then?"_

"Yes, I did. I took a taxi." Law could tell that Doflamingo wasn't surprised that he had done so.

_"Too bad. I would have been more than happy to get someone to go pick you up. I could have saved you some money. The cabbies charge a bit more in this city."_

"I noticed." Law was silent a brief moment, "And I still don't see why you wanted me to come work in this particular city anyway."

_"It couldn't be because all of us wanted to see you more than twice a year?"_ Doflamingo asked, feigning ignorance.

Law nearly rolled his eyes at that, "Or maybe it is because you'd have had one less person to ask to do a job for you if I weren't easily assessable? I plan on avoiding contact with any of the cops here once I land a job as a surgeon."

Doflamingo's voice became one of wounded dignity, as if Law had greatly offended him with his words, _"Now why would you think that I'd only want you around for that?"_ When there was no reply, the older blond's tone turned a tad playful, _"And if you're trying to avoid the cops, then why are you telling me that, when they might tap this phone call?"_

Law sighed, but couldn't help but sound amused, "I highly doubt that you wouldn't have called from a secure line. You're not that sloppy. Besides, you had someone modify my cell for me a year ago, remember?"

_"I do remember something like that."_ Doflamingo admitted, _"I just meant to remind you that you need to be careful once you get that job."_

"Are you sure that you're not just going senile and forgot?" Law deadpanned as he glanced down at the address again, tuning out for the most part Doflamingo's laughter that he had drawn with his comment.

Doflamingo laughter trailed into a close-mouthed chuckle, _"Fufufufu, oh Law, it really hasn't been the same without you around."_

Law thought that the other man sounded almost wistful, "Seriously, Joker-ya, don't start that again. Do you know how many rumors there were when I left the north to come here?"

Doflamingo's voice turned oddly serious, _"Don't call me that, Law."_

Law felt a bit of the rebellious teenager he had been well within him at the tone, "Why's that? The line is secure, isn't it? Or have you really started to lose your mind? Not that some of it wasn't already gone to begin with." Law knew something was wrong when Doflamingo didn't say anything. Law almost thought that he'd lost the call, when the older man spoke, his voice brooking no room for argument.

_"Do not call me that again, unless you are in the public and need to mention me in passing to someone else in our family."_

Law felt as if he were missing something, but knew that there was no point in arguing. Or trying to find out why Doflamingo disliked it when he referred to him by the code name, "Whatever, Doflamingo-ya. And you didn't answer my question."

The older man's voice went back to amused, as if nothing had happened, _"...And what rumors would those be?"_

"The ones that insist that we have more than a professional relationship." Law said darkly. Doflamingo wasn't stupid. He'd have to live underground to not hear the rumors that had flown like wildfire with Law's departure from the north to the south, to the city where the blond haired man lived.

_"Oh,_ those _rumors. Maybe they're just jealous that I favor people who work for me. In the legit jobs, at least. Or because you're one of the best surgeons, or will be."_

"Doflamingo-ya…"

There was an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line, _"Why does it bother you so much?"_

"Because I want to be treated with respect once I am working as a surgeon, and having whispers go around that I am sleeping with my on again, off again boss tends to undermine such images. And the threesome rumor that just won't die." Law responded promptly, slowing down as he caught sight of the house further down the street.

Doflamingo laughed, _"Well, they_ are _just rumors. I'm sure it'll blow off once you get your name in. I'm sure women will be clamoring for you, and any other baseless rumors will vanish soon after that."_

Law nearly groaned at that. He really wasn't in the mood for Doflamingo to tease him, however indirectly, about the nurse that had gotten obsessed with him when he'd interned at one of the hospitals in the city he now returned to. "That rumor can go away as well." Law said glumly, not at all surprised that it made Doflamingo laugh a bit.

_"So popular."_ The older man teased, and if Law didn't know better, he would have thought that Doflamingo almost sounded jealous. Law figured that he must have imagined it, and drew closer to the house as the older man spoke again, _"Have you reached the house yet?"_

"Almost. At least it is in a decent neighborhood." Law commented, "I suppose I should keep an eye out for the home owner then? You did let them know that I'd be coming today, right?"

_"Yes, yes, Crocodile knows you'll be there. If he'd a little cranky, it's only because he had to leave his business to deal with you."_

"You know the greatest people, Doflamingo-ya. Is he into illegal dealings as well?"

_"I'll leave that to you to figure out. You're a smart kid."_

"I am an adult now, you know. I am not a child anymore."

_"Ah, but you'll always be my cute little brother who causes me so much grief."_

"I am not that either."

_"You've known me since you were ten or eleven."_

"I am 26 now."

_"And a surgeon, I know. Why don't you go check the house out? It was the closest one to the hospital that you're hoping to work at."_ Doflamingo hesitated, and then added, _"And don't get into a fight with Crocodile. I don't want to get bitched at later on."_

"I'm sure you would survive."

_"Fufufufu. You are a funny kid, Law."_ Doflamingo hung up before the dark haired man could correct him.

Law pocketed his cell with a shake of his head, and turned onto the sidewalk leading to the house.

Preoccupied with inspecting his potential living space, Law didn't notice that something was framed in the window on the second floor. It was looking at him, its gaze fixed and unwavering.

-x-

Law eyed the run down house before him with a bit of trepidation. It was not quite what he had expected, but then again, nothing ever was. Especially when it was something that involved his boss. Law supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. His and Doflamingo's definition of decent housing was definitely different. The dark haired doctor had expected something more lavish, purely based on Doflamingo and his odd sense of humor. Law let his eyes rove over the structure. Law should have guessed that nothing that flashy bastard ever said was quite the truth, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. Law had been told that the house was up for rent, and rather cheaply, by a colleague of his. Law scoffed softly at the very idea.

Business partner in something illegal was far more likely, from the sound of his most recent phone call with the older man. Not that Law didn't think that Doflamingo had some people that he worked with that weren't doing anything illegal. Though it was likely to be very few people, if any at all.

Doflamingo did love to pretend that he was a law abiding citizen. It always pissed the cops off to no end when they could never pin any criminal acts on him. Law knew for a fact that the blond had many layers of network and fake cover stories that prevented the authorities from ever figuring out what exactly it was that he actually did for a living. Illegal or otherwise. Law supposed that was just as well, because he had no desire to have the cops track him down and demand that he spill the beans on his boss. That would be unpleasant, and Law didn't feel like spending the rest of his life in jail for something like that. Not to mention there was a possibility that Doflamingo would send someone to silence him should that ever become an issue. Doflamingo did love his privacy and secrecy, and not for a moment did Law think that he was special enough to warrant leniency.

Law sighed, looking away from the house. Then again, perhaps he would get better treatment than most people that had worked for or were working for Doflamingo. It did seem to be the case, with some thing Law had noticed in the past. He hoped that he was imagining things, however. He really didn't want Doflamingo to treat him any differently than anyone else in his so called family. Law frowned slightly. Though he doubted he'd have a say in it either way. Doflamingo would do as he would, no matter what anyone else said. An unfamiliar voice broke through Law's thoughts, drawing his attention.

"Doflamingo said you would show up. What do you think of it?"

Law casually glanced to the side, not bothering to look at the house with distaste any longer. He soon spotted the speaker, a tall violet-haired man who was headed toward him at a laidback pace. Law looked away as he eyed the house to appraise it silently once more, before he commented dryly, "It's more run down than I imagined it would be." Which was only half a lie, as Law had been expecting something actually falling apart from its foundations.

The older man gave the younger an irritated look as he bit down on a cigar, "It's cheap, and your boyfriend said that you'd rather be close to a majority of the work places that you applied for." Crocodile clearly hoped that this wasn't going to take very long, but appeared to have a feeling, just from who Law was, that it was going to be more of a pain than he had thought it might be. Crocodile obviously presumed the man before him certainly wasn't one of Doflamingo's low-level lackeys. It was someone far more intelligent, even if Law was currently giving him a half smirk at having given him such a response.

Damn brat was written clearly in Crocodile's expression, even if the man himself said nothing.

Law shook his head, not amused by the violet haired man's words, "Doflamingo-ya is _not_ my boyfriend, Crocodile." Why everyone seemed to think that was the case, Law doubted he would ever find out. Not that he cared to really delve into just how the rumors had begun in the first place. Working for Doflamingo on occasion, as well has having grown up around the man, was likely the main cause that the rumors had formed. But that was all they were. Rumors. And just like Law had told Doflamingo in the phone call not too long ago, they didn't appear to be going away as soon as he would have hoped.

"Not from what I've heard. Just because he's your boss doesn't mean he won't try to make that happen. If not now, sometime in the future." Crocodile gave Law a look, as if he were wasting his time. And technically the dark haired doctor was. He'd been in the middle of a business deal when Doflamingo had told him that Law would show up at the house in an hour. Suffice to say, that call hadn't ended on a good note, at least for Crocodile. Doflamingo had been laughing his ass off by the end of it at the violet haired man's obvious displeasure of being torn from work so suddenly. Crocodile fixed Law with glare, "Did I come all the way here for nothing, or do you want to rent the damn place?" He was going to give Doflamingo hell if Law ended up leaving without deciding to rent after all of this. Crocodile already despised renting any of the places he owned, and only moderately tolerated someone that the blond, pink wearing freak would occasionally recommend to him. In that they would actually pay the rent and wouldn't run off in the middle of the night.

Law set aside the whole 'was his boss his boyfriend' thing for the moment as he jerked his head in a nod, "It is close to several places I applied for." He only hoped he could get into one of them, and that the impromptu pack all of his things and move cities wasn't a rash decision. Law indicated the house with a tilt of his head, "I want to see what it looks like inside. I may be the main renter, but a friend of a friend of mine is going to dump two teens on me until their house is renovated."

Crocodile considered upping the payment for each month then and there, as Doflamingo had made no mentions of three people living in the house. Just one. Puffing on his cigar irritably, Crocodile shove past Law to open the front door, mumbling something under his breath about damn brats racing around and breaking things. He was not going to let this slide when he talked to Doflamingo again. Damn bastard knew that he hated to rent to groups of people.

Law decided to not say anything about the rough gesture, mainly because he didn't like the idea of the other man menacing him with the hook in place of his left hand. Law had noticed it as soon as the other man had walked up to him, and the dark haired man couldn't help but stare at it discreetly. As a doctor, or more specifically, a surgeon, Law was fascinated with what could have caused the injury. Not to mention he was curious about the scar that went across the bridge of Crocodile's nose, from one side of the face to the other in a straight line. That had to have been painful, and just from what he could tell about the other man, the one that had given him that injury likely wasn't breathing any longer. Law was going to have to talk to Doflamingo about bringing him into contact with these kinds of people. They were exactly the kind that he didn't want to have any dealings with once he landed his legit, law abiding job.

"Are you coming in or what?" The violet haired man grumbled aloud over one shoulder. He'd have thought a doctor would have been smarter than this, and again made a mental note to give Doflamingo hell anyway for making him deal with some hotshot son of a bitch. The damn smirk was infuriating on its own without the sly and sarcastic tone of voice that came out of the dark haired man whenever he spoke.

"Yes..." Law forced the thoughts away and walked the rest of the way up the sidewalk and into the house. Law went past Crocodile to survey the interior of the place that he was considering renting for a few months. Crocodile waited in the front entryway of the house as Law wandered around the place. It was in surprisingly good condition, considering the state the house was in from the outside. The dark haired doctor was honestly surprised that the plumbing and electricity, as well as all of the appliances in the kitchen appeared to be in good working order. There were certainly a few things that could be improved, but overall, it was satisfactory, and for what Doflamingo had said that Crocodile asked for a month, it was a good deal. Law wouldn't even need to do any of the repairs, as he was only staying for a short while.

Law studied the bedrooms on the upper floor, and knew that the larger one with the four poster, King sized bed was going to be his. He'd had enough of sleeping in small twin beds to last him a lifetime. Not to mention crappy hotel beds when he had been working a part time job and going to school. The teens that were staying with him could complain all they wanted about the twin beds in the other room. They were lucky enough to be getting a place to stay in the first place. Law stepped into the larger master bedroom, and stared out the window silently. It was a good view. Law felt a faint chill as he left the bedroom, but it was gone as soon as he headed down the stairs. He took a quick peek out the back door, a little surprised to see a small pond, and the sight of a tall fence enclosing the backyard property. Doflamingo hadn't mentioned that particular detail. Law turned and headed back to the front entryway to the house, where Crocodile stood waiting. When Law noticed that the other man was giving him a questioning look, Law shrugged his shoulders, "It will do." And it would, so long as the house didn't come crashing down around him in the middle of the night.

Crocodile laughed, lighting another cigar, "Doflamingo didn't mention that you were such a sarcastic ass." He really hated these kinds of people, but as long as he was paid, he only had to put up with Law once a month. The violet haired man was rather surprised that Doflamingo would bother putting up with him, but he supposed that the blond was unpredictable at best. Maybe he got some sort of sick satisfaction that he had a surgeon that worked for him. Crocodile knew that had to be the case, otherwise Doflamingo would never have gone out of his way to find a place for Law to stay. Which made Crocodile believe the rumor that the two were going out. It didn't make sense if that wasn't the case, because why Doflamingo wouldn't have been so relentless to make sure that Law didn't have anything to worry about when he came to the city. "And he didn't say that you were going to have brats staying with you either."

"Doflamingo-ya doesn't say a lot about me without me knowing about it." Law responded absently, as he felt that cool breeze pass by him again. It stopped almost immediately, so the surgeon didn't mention it to Crocodile. The other man appeared to be annoyed at best for even being here, and Law could already tell the other man was wavering between renting out the house to him or telling him to get the fuck out and go elsewhere. Especially at the violet haired man commenting on having 'brats' stay at the house too, "I would have said no to my friend had I really thought about it."

Since he wasn't sure if he could find another renter so soon, Crocodile relented, and decided to take what he could get. The sooner he dealt with this, the sooner he could return to try and fix a deal he'd been in the process of making before he'd been so rudely interrupted, "I've got some papers in the car. I think we're going to have to discuss some insurance in case the brats coming to stay with you break anything." Crocodile walked outside, before he half turned to grin patronizingly at Law, "I bet Doflamingo is disappointed you didn't go to live with him at his house. It seemed like it when he called me before."

Law threw Crocodile a dark look, reminding the other man without words that he didn't like the implied relationship in the statement.

Crocodile laughed again as he left the house, "Come on doctor, let's just go get the signatures, details and the money taken care of. Contrary to what you might think, I am a busy man."

Law took a step forward, about to comment on whether it was illegal or not, when something seized his right arm in a vice like grip. Law stumbled to a halt and winced as he half turned, expecting to see someone standing there. No one was there, but the pressure still was. Law wondered if he was tired, because for a moment, he could have sworn that he saw the indentation in his jacket of a hand gripping his upper arm. Law jerked away at what sounded like a whisper, before he looked back down at his arm.

Nothing was there.

Law ran his left hand over his upper arm, before he rubbed it absently. It felt a little cool to the touch, but it didn't look like anything was grabbing it anymore. Law figured that he must have just imagined it. Law looked around the entry way. For a second, though, it really had almost seemed like someone had grabbed him. No matter how many times Law looked the immediate area over, there was still nothing there. And there were certainly no voices, like he thought he had just heard. The dark haired doctor shook his head. Jet lag. That must be the main issue. He'd flown over ten hours to get to this place. Law felt that he was overly tired and imagining things. For good measure, the dark haired man also blamed Doflamingo, because he was sure that if there was such a thing, Doflamingo would be wickedly gleeful about the idea of sending him to go live in a haunted house. Just for the hell of it.

The dark haired doctor scoffed at the very idea as he exited the house and closed the door behind him. Haunted house indeed, There was no chance of that, and Law made a note to tell Doflamingo to never allow anyone to put another horror movie on in his presence ever again. As silly as it seemed, Law figured that Doflamingo would do just that. It made the dark haired man uncomfortable to think that Crocodile had some things right. It did seem strange that the blond haired man would occasionally go out of his way to make sure Law had what he needed. More so than many of the other people in the family. Law put it from his mind as he headed over to Crocodile's car, where the violet haired man was sorting through some papers. Law didn't hear the crash that resounded throughout the house behind him. It had almost sounded as if someone had let loose a loud snarl of absolute and utter fury, and had begun smashing things in response to that anger.

"Oy, brat, get over here and sign this."

Law twitched at being addressed in such a way, and missed the sight of someone in the window again as he seethed at Crocodile, Doflamingo be damned. He would get into an argument, and if it devolved into a fight, it was the blond's problem to deal with, "I am 26."

Crocodile smiled as he handed over a paper for Law to look over, "Then act like an adult and not a damn teenager."

"And how am I doing that?" Law asked absently as he glanced through the sheet of paper. He raised a brow at something, "I do hope you're not expecting me to pay for repairs if the house deteriorates on its own. Though if it does, I suppose I could always sue you if a block of rock lands on me and cripples me."

"That. That's how you're not acting your damn age."

"By bringing up legitimate concerns over the safety of the house?" Law asked mildly, knowing that he was irritating the other man. He did the same to Doflamingo sometimes, but the blond appeared to be amused by such exchanges more than anything else. Even started them on occasion if he was really bored.

Crocodile sighed as if he found Law to be very trying, "If the house needs repairs that you don't cause, I can see what I can do."

Law smirked, pleased, and signed the paper that he held in his hand, "Anything else?"

"Other than how much more I want to charge you for having two teenage brats come to live with you?" Crocodile shook his head, looking exasperated now, "I'll have to get back to you on that. I need to get back to my appointment. I'll call you when I decide how much." Crocodile shoved a few more papers Law's way, "Sign these and we can go our separate ways."

Law looked through the papers, before signing them. "And the key?" Law reached up and caught the single key tossed his way as Crocodile gathered up the papers. Law stepped away from the car, "And how do I reach you should some disaster befall me inside that house?"

Crocodile drew a large pull of cigar smoke before letting it out irritably, "I left my cell number on the dining room table. Just make sure you don't pass it off to anyone else. Doflamingo isn't the only one who wants to fly under the radar of the police."

"Well, that answers the question of whether Doflamingo knows anyone who is doing their work honestly." Law said as he twirled the key on its ring idly.

Crocodile shook his head once more, as if amazed that such a smug person could survive around Doflamingo, "Don't burn the house down." With that, Crocodile got into his car and drove away.

Law turned to look at the house, thinking it really wasn't as bad as he was making it sound, and continued to idly twirl the key to the house. A few months, and he would hopefully have a job. He would then be able to afford something much nicer than what he was looking at. Law knew that he could live with this run down monstrosity until then. Law smirked. It was good that he didn't have to worry about things breaking down now, since he'd managed to get Crocodile to agree to take care of anything that broke down. It was the violet haired man's house anyway. He could do the repairs. Law's smile thinned as he ran a hand absently over his right arm, before staring at the house again pensively as a thought crossed his mind.

It _was_ an older house that had been around much longer than those in the rest of the neighborhood...

Law stopped the thought abruptly, silently scolding himself. He walked to the side of the curb where he'd left his belongings, before he turned and headed back for the front door. He didn't have anything to worry about other than landing a job.

It wasn't like the house was haunted or anything. Such things didn't exist outside of fiction.

-x-

Kid watched his lover standing just outside of the house with a scowl. He was certainly taking his damn time. It looked like he was thinking about something now. Kid's scowl morphed into a smirk. Well, the red head was thinking too. Thinking that he hated that he had been ignored so completely when Law had come into the house. The redhead's smirk lessened a bit. And not only that, but the violet haired man that had been with Law had mentioned something about a boyfriend. That was something that the redhead had not expected to hear. He'd figured that Law's absence had been due to his job, and that he'd had to travel for some reason. But this...this...

Kid's hands curled into fists, incredibly displeased. That meant that Law had been seeing someone other than him in the time that he'd been away. He certainly had been busy, if what the man had hinted at was anything to go by. Law had seemed unhappy at being spoken to about the boyfriend, and Kid figured it was because he didn't want him to know about it. And that was what made it worse. Sure, in the past they had talked about not caring if they fucked other people when the other wasn't around, but to go out with another person and ignore him for so long...

It was unacceptable.

Breaking things around the house had only marginally calmed Kid. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough for what Law had done.

Kid's eyes bored into Law's, even though he knew the other man wasn't looking up at him. Didn't see him. Not yet, but very soon, he would. The red head was going to make his dark haired lover pay for this insult. Pay for making him wait for such a very long time. Longer than most people would ever dream of waiting. Kid was going to make Law beg and scream for as long as he liked. He might even consider stopping if the other man pleaded with him to do so. Not that Kid thought that Law would ever beg. He didn't seem to be the begging type. But that wasn't going to stop Kid from trying. Not until he'd let out all of the pent up aggression and frustration of being abandoned for so long ingrain itself into his lover. And then Kid would punish him for the fact that Law seemed to have been cheating on him during his long absence. Even though, again, it really wouldn't have bothered Kid as much, if Law had come to see him too.

Although...

Kid frowned. Being together for two years and seeing only each other exclusively made Kid wonder if they would have been satisfied with only one another. That neither of them would have to see other people any more. Kid dismissed what could have been for reality. And what he was going to do about that reality. He didn't want to lose Law. That much he knew. But Kid was going to definitely punish his lover, and get him writhing and screaming the way he wanted. To let Law know just how much he had hurt and betrayed the other by his absence. Kid might relent, eventually, and perhaps even forgive Law for seeing someone else, and for leaving him alone in the first place.

But Kid would only forgive his lover after making Law promise to never leave him again. Maybe they could even kill his boyfriend while they were at it, once Kid had made his intentions clear. That he was interested in more than just sex. Had been interested in more after nearly two years together. But that was something he would bring up later. For the time being...

Kid turned away from the window once more and headed for the bedroom door.

Yes, that was what he was going to do. Law would understand what he had planned. After all, the two of them were of a similar mind, and somewhere deep inside, the doctor would enjoy the things the red head had planned for him. Law would enjoy them just as much, if not more, than Kid already knew he would. It already excited Kid to think and plan the unseen boyfriend's death.

Reluctantly, Kid put aside those dark and violent thoughts as he propped his arms up against the upstairs railing, his eyes on the front door. The first thing Kid was going to have to do was make Law pay attention to him. The red head was not going to tolerate his lover acting as if he hadn't been standing right next to him just minutes ago. Kid had even attempted to grab Law's arm to get his attention, and thought he had succeeded. Law certainly seemed to notice his touch. But instead of a greeting, or anything, the dark haired doctor had walked out of the house anyway. Not even a word had left his lips.

A wicked smile split Kid's lips as he leaned more heavily against the railing.

If Law wanted to play hard to get, then Kid was more than happy to be the one to start one of their many games again. It had been such a long time since their last one, and Kid was eager to begin.

He _would_ have Law all to himself, one way or another.

Time was no longer an issue, and it was only a matter of time before Law would acknowledge his presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really liked writing this fic, so I'm going to probably have to a lot of fun revising it.


	3. Three's a Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this AU, Ace is 17 and Luffy is 14.

Everything was in place. It was going to be perfect this time, and no one would know that it was him. While he would have liked to directly confront the son of a bitch that had picked on his brother, he was already on the fast track to being expelled. Not because he wanted to finish school, but because Ace wanted to keep an eye on his younger brother. Since he could be pretty oblivious about some things.

Ace peeked from behind the school building at the punk that he had his eyes set on, before ducking out of sight again. So close. Just a few steps more...

A body collided with his own from behind, but Ace didn't outwardly react. He knew who it would be.

"What're you doing, Ace?"

Ace twisted to one side and flipped his younger brother over his shoulder, and in short order had Luffy in a headlock, one hand reaching up to clap down over his mouth before his brother could say anything more, "Quiet. You'll get their attention." Ace glanced around the wall, before hefting a lit match into the nearby garbage can, which swiftly caught on fire, which then spread to the punk in question's backpack. The resulting flare of fire was quite a thing to behold. Ace guessed that he shouldn't have thought it would be bigger. He hadn't had much fuel to use after all, without it being suspicious.

The ensuing chaos, however, was well worth it.

Since there was a lot of noise from panicked bystanders and most of all from the punk whose backpack was on fire, Ace loosened his hold on Luffy. "We should get out of here before someone sees us."

Luffy watched the fire for a moment, before laughing up at his brother, "Grandpa is going to be angry if he finds out it was you."

Ace laughed in return as he walked away from the building, "Only if he catches me in the act." Ace stepped out of the alley and came nearly face to face with an older man who was wearing a scowl on his scarred face.

"Catch you doing what, Ace?"

"Ack, Grandpa." Luffy ducked beneath his reach as the older man's hand darted out toward him.

Ace blocked the way, grinning at Garp as he called after his brother, "See you at home, Luffy!"

Luffy laughed, having been in similar situations many times before, "Yeah, see you!"

Ace turned back to Garp, and looked completely unashamed as the punk whose backpack was on fire ran by, pursued by numerous people trying to douse it.

Garp watched as the backpack was extinguished with a fire extinguisher one of the teachers had come running with, before he turned a sharp eye on Ace, "How did that happen?"

"I don't know what you are talking about?" Ace responded, before he added. "Not that he didn't deserve it."

Garp stepped forward and held out a hand. "Hand it over."

"Hand what over?"

"You know what. Don't play dumb." Garp kept his hand outstretched.

Ace was going to continue to be oblivious, until he decided it might prevent him from hanging out with his friends later that night. Sullenly Ace handed over a matchbox. Seeing Garp's expression, Ace shrugged as he spoke casually, "What? Why can't I carry it around? You never know when you might need to light a fire. I could be stranded in the middle of nowhere and need something to start a fire with to survive a cold night." Ace almost managed to step out of range, but Garp had caught him by the upper arm and was already starting to lead him away.

"Hey old man, I didn't do anything!"

"I keep telling you to stop starting fires, but do you ever listen to me? And now I gotta take you and Luffy to a friend of a friend's place to stay in a few days, and you two don't pack well at all."

Ace tried to free his arm, "What the hell? Why?"

"The house is being remodeled, remember? Don't you remember me telling that to both of you a week ago?" Garp manhandled his grandson into the back of the police car, "And you probably didn't hear because you were too busy burning down that rickety house down the street."

"I didn't do that." Ace said evasively, sure that he had covered that one time up. He settled in the backseat as the door closed, and waited until Garp got into the car before speaking again, "And even if I did burn that house down, the people that lived there were drug dealers."

"Don't give me that. I know you did it. And a few other times as well." Ignoring Ace's vehement denials, Garp drove away.

The students that had been near enough to hear the exchange were either not at all surprised, or speechless, at what they had witnessed.

One student, a green-haired teenager with a few piercings, watched the car drive away, and muttered to himself, "Ace is so awesome." The teen saw Luffy push his way past some other punks from the school, oblivious to the fact that they had been trying to pick on him. "Luffy is too." The green haired teen sighed as leaned up against the nearest wall of the school. "But I can't get too close."

-x-

Much to Ace's displeasure, a few days later Garp got him and Luffy into the police cruiser with some luggage, and drove them away.  Just like he said he would.

Luffy was staring interestedly out the window of the car, excited about the idea that he and Ace would be staying somewhere that Garp would not be. At least until their grandpa had fixed up the house they had been living in.

The drive wasn't more than twenty minutes, and Garp soon pulled up along a sidewalk in front a house.

As soon as the car stopped, Ace got out of the car and reached over to grab a bag of clothing. Ace managed to duck beneath a potential strike from Garp when he tried to sneak his matchbox back. Pretending that he hadn't just tried to do that, and slinging the bag over his shoulder, Ace walked away from the car. The freckled teen wandered over to the house where he was going to be staying. From just one look, Ace felt that there was something about it that he didn't like.

Eying the house with a dubious expression, Ace decided that he could not wait until he turned eighteen. His birthday couldn't come soon enough. If it weren't for his younger brother, Ace would have already been long gone. The teen automatically stepped to one side as the aforementioned brother came bolting out of the police cruiser parked by the sidewalk. Ace couldn't help but smile at his little brother's enthused expression at the prospect of being in a house without their grandfather breathing down their necks. One of the downfalls of having a cop as a relative. Always making sure the 'kids' were doing the right thing, and not straying down the path of a miscreant.

Luffy studied the house with barely contained excitement, "Do you think there are ghosts in there? It looks like it should have them. That'd be cool, right?"

Ace laughed at the very idea. The ideas that went through that kid's mind were, at times, overly imaginative. Not that that was a bad thing. Delusions of grandeur, something the two brothers both shared, was something far more appealing than their reality. Ace rolled his bare shoulders in a shrug, when he noticed that Luffy had been expecting a response, "I doubt that there's anyone dead moaning and groaning in there, but maybe there's buried treasure." Ace smiled at the sight of Luffy's face lighting up at the prospect of a treasure hunt. Ace didn't want to break it to him that it was highly unlikely there was even more than five dollars in the place. If there had been, Ace doubted that the house would have continued to look so run down.

Luffy's eyes were glued to the house, as if he could see straight through into the interior and the likely places someone from long ago may have buried or hidden such a treasure. If there actually was one.

Ace joined his younger brother in surveying the house, as Garp strode past to talk to the renter of the home. Trafal...something or other. Law. The surgeon who apparently was all but broke if this was all he could afford to rent. Ace ignored the discussion between his adoptive grandfather and the surgeon, and studied the house a little more fully than he had when he had first glimpsed it. Ace tipped his hat back to give the house a dour, unimpressed once over. Nope, it was still as horrible and falling apart as it had appeared before.

The only good that this house was going to do for Luffy and himself was to get them away from Garp and his insistence that they both go to school, and stay out of trouble. The 'trouble' bit was mainly aimed at Ace. Luffy did get into trouble on occasion, but it was harmless. Ace happened to have developed a much more destructive hobby, and it was highly addictive. Even now the teen could feel the urge to do what he'd done to these kind of houses in the past. Burn it down. The temptation was overwhelming with the way the place looked to be nearly falling apart anyway. Ace loved to make things, and watch things, burn. Candles. Stoves. Fireplaces. Huge ass bon fires, that he gladly helped the college students organize and put on during Spring Break.

Ace let his eyes rove over the house again, more slowly this time as he shoved the urge to the back of his mind. It would be a bad idea to start something so close to the police station. And besides, Ace wouldn't go randomly lighting people's houses on fire unless he felt they actually deserved it. Like murderers or rapists or drug dealers that had holed themselves up in a house to avoid detection. Ace's smile slipped the longer he looked at the house he was going to be staying in. There was just something about it that was unpleasant.

Ace was aware of what kind of expression he wore when he considered his pyromaniac tendencies, so he felt it coming before it happened. The swift and sharp movement of a hand aimed at him like a heat seeking missile. The teen swiftly ducked, narrowly avoiding his grandfather Garp's swat to the back of his head. The older man had done it a few too many times, but it had the same result, whether it connected or not. Ace scowled at Garp, who returned it with one of his own.

"Don't go setting anything in there on fire. You aren't the one paying for the place." Garp managed to sneak in a rough cuff to the older teen's bare shoulder, which he only did out of love, to get his point across. It really was unfortunate that he hadn't been able to squash Ace's unhealthy obsession with fire. He wondered where he'd gone wrong, "I didn't raise you to think about setting fire to places!"

Ace stumbled a few steps out of range, in case Garp tried for another swipe, "What the hell old man! Why would I set a place I'm going to stay on fire? And you aren't even my real grandpa!"

"That doesn't matter if I am or not! What does matter is you setting things intentionally on fire! What about the apartment?"

Ace made eye contact with Garp. Damn the old codger knew him well. Ace squared his shoulders, but refused to back down from the issue. But he wasn't going to exactly acknowledge any fault though, "It was an accident." Ace said evasively. It had been, and Garp hadn't realized what sick wackos their neighbors had been. He'd seen the looks that had been thrown at himself and Luffy, and they hadn't been pleasant. He did it in self-defense, really. Everyone else in the apartment had gotten out fine, even the sick bastards that he'd initially set the fire near. They'd been arrested, and no one had died. Therefore, it was not as big a deal that Garp was making it out to be.

Garp was just as stubborn as Ace, and wasn't about to let the issue lie, "Sure it was. An accident. What about that decrepit restaurant near the place we lived before? The laundromat with questionable owners? The drug dealers that my department caught because their homes caught on fire and burned down? Any of those ring a bell?"

Ace shrugged, spreading his hands, "It's a mystery. But you caught the bad guys, so it doesn't matter how the fires started, right?"

Garp eyed Ace silently for a moment, before he shook his head in exasperation, "You need to get your love of fire under control. If you want to be a cop, you can't go lighting things on fire as the best way to solve a problem. You're just lucky that no one has died because of it, and I've managed to keep things from getting out about your pyrotechnic antics."

Ace adjusted his hat absently, "Who the hell says I'm going to be a cop like you?" He really didn't feel like having this conversation, but he couldn't help it. He hated anyone making decisions for him. He'd live his life how he saw fit, and being a cop didn't factor into it.

Luffy, more or less immersed with his examination of the house, couldn't be bothered to echo his brother about the whole grow up to be a cop. If Luffy had been paying attention, and not picking his nose absently, he would have announced that he was either going to become a pirate, or King of the World, or both.

"You aren't implying that you are going to go hang out with Whitebeard and his miscreants, are you, Ace?" Garp questioned darkly after a few moments.

"They aren't doing anything illegal, and besides, they don't mind a little fire." Ace smiled faintly as he swiftly dodged back out of reach of Garp, and added, "Not that I've actually _set_ things on fire."

Garp was about to remind him that he had, when his phone, and pager, both went off at the same time, and cut off any further conversation. Garp noted the number, and waved over to Law, who had been lingering near the front door, and watching the exchange, "Well, gotta get to work. One of the boys is screwing things up, as usual. Let some suspects escape while they hung out in the lobby." Garp laughed as he walked off, and Ace looked marginally calmer when the cop car was out of sight.

Law stepped aside to allow Luffy to enter the house, the fourteen year old barely able to contain his excitement to look inside of the broken down looking place. Law watched Ace approach, and wasn't surprised at Garp's exasperation. Not many people went around shirtless and acted as if they weren't. Law caught the teen's eyes and offered a faint smirk, "Did you really set a drug dealer's house on fire?" When he saw a frown turned his way, Law shrugged, "I've done worse, but your grandpa is never going to hear about it. He'd have never let the two of you stay here otherwise."

Ace crossed his arms and eyed Law suspiciously, "Oh yeah? What did you do?" What would a surgeon do to get in trouble? It couldn't be anything that bad.

"I did some smuggling and other things, and got away with it, right beneath the cop's noses. Probably even Garp's." Law turned and headed back into the house, and half turned to finish, "That was when I was around your age. Maybe a little younger."

Ace was fully relaxed by now; the suspicion had mainly been replaced by amusement at the idea that Garp had no idea about illegal activity done by the surgeon. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to hang around the guy, "And now you're doing a legit job of piecing people back together."

"It'll pay the bills." Law answered with a smile. He was relieved that he didn't have to hide any illegal activity. After all, Law never knew when Doflamingo was going to spring something on him out of the blue. Law was surprised to find that he was more relaxed than he had expected, especially since Ace was apparently fine with playing with fire in not so legal ways.

Ace shut the door and called over to his brother, "What are you doing, Luffy? You already find something?"

Luffy grinned brightly as he gestured all around him with a wave of his hands, "This place is awesome! I thought it'd be as creepy inside, but it still looks like there might be treasure or something hidden in here!"

"Or dead bodies."

Luffy puffed his cheeks up in displeasure at the very thought, "That wouldn't be as fun as finding treasure from hundreds of years ago."

Law smirked faintly as he walked by the two brothers, heading for the kitchen, "I doubt this place is that old. A hundred or two would be the oldest it could be."

Ace sprawled on a nearby chair, "What would you do with treasure?"

Luffy stopped trying to reach up for a hook on the wall, "I'd use it to be King of the World!"

"Yeah, right, and I'll be the Fire God."

Luffy crossed his arms, "Just you wait Ace. I'm gonna do it!"

"Sure you are. Let me know when that happens."

Law, in the kitchen and out of sight, rested his forehead against the front of the fridge in slight despair. Noisy teenagers. He didn't recall being so loud, even at Luffy's age. Law suddenly remembered the sleeping situation, and poked his head out of the kitchen to speak to the two teens still in the entry way of the house, "You two are getting the room with the twin beds. I'm the one paying, so I get the master bedroom."

"Not cool man."

"Do you think that there are hidden traps doors or panels in that room?"

Law retreated into the kitchen, and pretended to not hear Ace's protests about having to sleep on a twin bed.

-x-

Law went to bed long after Luffy and Ace did. Apparently some teenagers _were_ able to go to bed at a normal hour. Law ran a hand through his hair as he headed up the stairs, pausing momentarily. The dark haired man blinked. He could have sworn he had just spotted some movement at the top of the stairs. Like someone had just walked by. Law held still as he studied the railing that went along half of the upstairs. He didn't spot anything moving. Shaking his head, Law went up the last few steps. All that greeted him was darkness. Shadows. Law continued along, briefly pausing and listening for any footsteps or a sound of any kind from Ace and Luffy. Nothing, but for some occasional snoring.

Shaking his head again, Law went into the master bedroom, and closed the door behind him. Law was glad that there had already been a complete mattress set, as it would have been awkward to try and find one, with his at the moment rather limited budget. Crocodile had made the effort to make the place more or less comfortable for a renter. And at least Law was only going to be having the two teens around for a few weeks while Garp's place was renovated. He would likely appreciate the silence when the two were gone. He was wondering if he should have said no to the friend that had suggested he let the teens stay, but it was too late now.

Law slipped into bed after kicking off his shoes and, too tired to bother removing his shirt or pants, collapsed onto the bed gratefully. Law sleepily reached over and hit the bedside light, plunging the room into darkness. Law settled beneath the covers, and closed his eyes. He had a place to stay for the time being, and he would, hopefully, be earning money soon. Law mused over his job prospects, and found that he wasn't as concerned about it as he had initially thought he would be. With his qualifications and degrees, he was sure to get one of the jobs that he had applied for.

The dark haired surgeon fell into a light doze, and just as he was about to drift off completely, the breeze from earlier in the day swept over him. Law cracked an eye open, but saw nothing that would make him slip out from the warmth of the blankets. Law rolled over onto his side, snuggling further beneath the covers in an attempt to fight off the increasingly cold feeling of the room. The dark haired man sleepily thought to check for drafts the next day.

Law woke a little more when he became aware of the fact that in the silence of the room, he heard what sounded like breathing. What had caught his attention was that it was not the sound of his own breathing. There was even what sounded like a creak, as if someone were slowly making their way across the room. Law turned slightly to peek over his shoulder, but again, there was nothing there to explain what he was hearing. Law dropped back down with a sigh. He supposed he would have to check and see if the floors creaked as well. It did seem to be an old house. He should expect to hear odd noises now and then.

The cold feeling grew, and it felt almost as if it were settling over him like a thin, and very cold, blanket. Law strove to ignore it, but as soon as he thought he'd succeeded, that was when the cold grew extreme to the point that it almost burned. Law was completely taken aback when it felt as if his left shoulder had been doused in a bone chilling cold. Law was unable to move, the cold lighting up his mind with pain. Before the dark haired man could think to move away from the frigid cold, Law felt himself forcefully turned over onto his back.

That brought Law into full wakefulness, because of the fact that it felt as if a person had wrenched his arm, the hand digging into his shoulder as he was flipped over. The chilling frigidness had retreated, but Law still felt pain in the limb where he'd been...grabbed.

The dark haired man skittered across the bed, away from where the cold lingered, at the very thought that there was another person in the room with him. Law flipped the nearby lamp on, his whole body tense, as if expecting to see the perpetrator right there in bed with him.

Nothing.

Law's eyes darted to the bedroom door, and found that it was still closed. Feeling a little foolish, Law leaned over the side of the bed, and peeked beneath it. As he had expected, there was no one hiding under there, messing with him.

Heart still racing a little more quickly than he'd have liked, Law turned the light back off. He cocooned himself with as all of the sheets and blankets, in an attempt to fight off the cold that seemed to permeate straight through the blankets, and into his body. Law shivered, but managed to fall asleep despite the discomfort. He would check the heater in the morning to make sure that it was working properly.  He was sure there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the sensation.

Law soon drifted into an uneasy sleep. The doctor was unaware that something brushed past his hair, and to anyone who had seen it, it would have seemed like a breeze going by. If looked at from a closer proximity, however, the motion would have been likened to someone running a hand through the hair, and tousling it gently. Law, deeply asleep by now, didn't hear the faint, almost inaudible voice as it sounded close to one of his ears. The sound of someone trying to contain many emotions at once, and finally settling on a disbelieving, yet pleased, tone.

' _You came back.'_


	4. The Cellar

When Law woke the next morning, he found no trace of the cold that he had felt from the night before. In fact, he was quite hot cocooned beneath all of the blankets and sheets. Law reached up a hand and ran it through his hair absently as he yawned. Even if the traces of the cold were gone, Law felt that he should make sure that there was nothing wrong with the house. He supposed that he didn't have anything better to do that day, so he may as well check out the heater to make sure that it was working properly.  There was no explaining the sensation of being forcefully turned over apart from pretending that he had been so exhausted that he had either imagined it or dreamed it.

Law felt a light breeze pass over him, and withheld a sigh. He needed to find out where those drafts were coming from as well. If he could find the source, he would be able to call Crocodile and get him to send someone out to fix it for him. It was funny that the violet haired man had mentioned nothing about that.  Perhaps he had hoped, since the dark haired man was used to cold weather, that it wouldn't be that big of a deal.  And while some cold didn't bother Law, frigid, unexplained coldness did, and would likely bother the two teenagers staying with him as well.  And since Law didn't want to hear any complaints, he would look into things before they became a problem.

Before the dark haired surgeon got up out of bed, he held still to see if there was going to be any more unexplained drafts of air. When there wasn't, Law stretched and yawned once more, before he reluctantly got out of bed. It was odd.  The room almost felt stagnant, without the occasional draft he'd noticed the night before.  Odd, but not too odd considering no one had lived there for at least a year or more.  Perhaps he ought to give the house a good airing out as well.  Giving a light shake of his head, Law rummaged around in a drawer of the dresser, and he found some clothes to change into. The dark haired man went to stand near the window briefly, and, as he looked outside, checked with a hand for any drafts coming in from the window.  There weren't, and that didn't really make him very happy.  Because that meant that the draft was coming from somewhere inside the house.

With a sigh, Law exited the bedroom, and headed down the stairs, his eyes on the small half sized door that led into the basement. He didn't remember seeing it on the brief walkthrough with Crocodile, otherwise he would have asked the violet haired man why the door was so small. It seemed a little odd, considering the rest of the house had normal sized doors, and looked new. The door to the basement looked worn and starting to splinter. Law stopped before the door to study it, and even ran a hand lightly along the scored wood. Perhaps it had been a part of the original house.  It certainly felt battered and old to him.

"Hey, Law?"

Law turned slightly, and caught sight of the frowning visage of Ace peeking around the corner of the kitchen doorway. Law raised a brow at him, but did not respond. It was far too early in the morning to deal with teenagers, and Law was more interested in making sure whether he was going to be freezing cold every single night. The faint cold that suddenly hung over him made him more determined to check out the furnace, and not only because it almost felt as if something lightly brushed his arm. 

It was his mind playing tricks on him.  That was all.  Besides, cold weather didn't overly bother Law.  He would just rather not have to deal with it when he was trying to get some sleep.

Ace clearly hadn't felt those drafts, as the freckled teenager was far more concerned with the state of the food in the house than any faulty furnace. The older teen, seeing that he had caught the doctor's attention, held up a carton of almond milk, "What the hell kind of drink is this? Where's all the soda and other junk food and meat?"

"…I haven't exactly gone out shopping for groceries yet. I was making sure that everything was in working order in this house before I went and got anything." Law didn't see any problem with almond milk, but he should have guessed that hungry teenagers preferred something else that was more common place.

Ace began to smile, a little smugly, "You do realize that Luffy and I eat a lot, right?"

"And you do realize that I only really have enough money to get food for myself. I don't think your grandfather is expecting me to feed the two of you if you really do eat as much as you seem to be indicating." Law reached out to open the short door, and did so with a long, drawn out creak.  Law would have to get it oiled.  The dark haired surgeon reached up to turn on the light, an antique looking bulb. The light bulb flared to life, before it began to flicker, until it promptly went out with a pop, plunging the rickety looking stairway back into complete darkness. Law pointedly ignored the low chuckle he heard, since it didn't seem to register in his mind that it hadn't come from Ace.

Ace disappeared into the kitchen, and when he returned, he tossed Law a flashlight, "I guess you'll need this." Ace grinned at the look the older man threw him, and added, with a smirk, "And the old geezer wasn't going to make you pay for our food. There's no way you'd have enough money for that. I was going to go get some groceries before Luffy came back from school." Ace frowned at the surgeon in mock seriousness, "I suppose it's too much to hope that you actually have a car?" Ace laughed a little at the glare tossed his way as Law flicked the flashlight on, "Whatever. Doesn't matter. The store isn't too far from here."

"Don't you have to go class as well?" Law questioned, as he aimed the flashlight up at where the bulb had gone out.  It looked like he'd be out searching for out of date lightbulbs at some point, unless he got Crocodile to update it to modern day electricity.  "Or are you skipping?"

"Why waste my time with school? Besides, the teachers don't like how I distract all the girls, and light trash cans on fire when there are bullies roughing people up."

Law looked away from the dead light bulb fixture directly at Ace, "And you wonder why Garp is always hounding you?"

"It's not my fault the teachers couldn't understand that I was only doing it for the greater good." Ace shrugged as he considered the carton in his hand. To drink, or not to drink, the mystery almond flavored beverage.

"So they kicked you out." Law shook his head, but couldn't help but let a smile slip as he trained the flashlight down the stairs. It made the stairwell even less appealing than the out of date light fixture did.  With the flashlight, it looked like he was about to travel into the depths of hell.  The cold, however, seemed to be coming from the basement, but that was the case with most homes. The lower levels were a tad cooler than the rest of the house, although in the case of this house, the cold seemed more exaggerated. 

"Yup. For two weeks. Garp just about burst from all the bottled up frustration. I went and hung out with some of my friends until he calmed down. I only have a few more days to go." Ace decided he would try the drink after all. He was thirsty.

"You get in a lot of trouble, don't you?" Law's smile dropped at the sight of the numerous cobwebs and the old and decrepit appearance of the stairwell that led to a more, from the looks of it, cellar-like basement. "What about your brother?"

"Luffy? He was fine. Didn't even know that Garp was mad at me until I didn't come home for a few days. Thought I'd been abducted by aliens or kidnapped by gangsters."

Law looked away from the cellar, "And what did you tell him?"

Ace grinned as he took a gulp of the almond milk, and grimaced. Ace stared at the carton for a moment, before he shrugged and took another drink directly out of the container, "Told him that I lit some things on fire and they let me go. That I was too much of a hazard to be worth any ransom if I harassed them and burned down their digs."

Law realized that he'd allowed the teenager to distract him from his original intention to inspect the basement. Law waved the flashlight at Ace, "One, use a glass. Don't drink out of the container. I happen to like that kind of drink. Two, weren't you saying that you were going to go get groceries? Since you're a delinquent fire starter and not going to school today?"

Ace laughed as he went into the kitchen in search of something more edible, "Yeah, I'll go soon. You also need to make some copies of the keys to the house too. I don't want to wait outside to get in when you do get a job."

Another thing to add to the growing list of things to do. Law turned away from looking at the kitchen, and back to the staircase. Training the flashlight to the bottom of the steps, Law ducked into the stairwell, and went slowly down the stone stairs, as if expecting one of the steps to give way at any moment. Nothing of the sort happened, though Law did feel a tug on his arm, as if someone or something was urging him to go down the stairs more quickly. Law passed the sensation off as his arm catching on cobwebs. When the dark haired man reached the bottom of the landing, he swung the flashlight left, and then right. It was a lot bigger than he had initially expected, but still had the appearance of something he would have expected out of a horror movie. To Law's immediate right was a small alcove with shelves, which looked like they could be used to store either bottles of alcohol, or food, if modified slightly. Or just placed very carefully.

Law decided he didn't want to do too much renovation, in case Crocodile had a problem with the way things ended up, but it was an option for storage if need be. There was a door a little further ahead, about fifteen feet further in, and to his left, there sat the furnace and water heater, tucked in the corner. Law headed over to the heater, and shined the flashlight over it. He inspected it for a few minutes, and decided that everything appeared to be working. He may consider getting someone who knew what they were doing to take a look at it, but otherwise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Law turned and flashed the beam back to the other corner of the room. He could have sworn he had heard some footsteps, but as soon as he had noticed the sound, it was there no longer. Law scanned the area carefully. It had seemed like someone had been following him, but there was no one there, and there were no shadows to indicate someone lurking down in the basement with him.

Law turned back to take a look at the water heater, and again, from what he could see, everything looked to be new and in working order. Law edged around the two appliances carefully, and his flashlight passed over an old fashioned boiler that had obviously seen better days. It didn't appear to be connected to anything, so Law didn't have to worry about it catching on fire. The dark haired man moved a little closer to the boiler, just to make sure that it was truly non functioning, when an intense, biting cold swept over him. Like the one from the night before, only worse.

Instead of merely shivering in an attempt to stave off the cold, Law was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. The dark haired man swayed a little, thrown off balance by the feeling. If Law hadn't been focusing so hard on trying to prevent himself from falling over and retching from the sudden frigid wave of cold that had washed over him, he would have felt something else that wasn't as cold settle against his back. Like someone was holding him up, and keeping him from falling over as he recovered.

Law took several deep breaths, and the nausea soon left him, until it was as if it had never been there.  The frigid, painful cold was gone as quickly as it had come. Law shined the light around, and at, the boiler. That had been...a very weird sensation. What had brought that on? Was there something here in the basement that could have brought that sick feeling down on him in so little a time? Law froze in place when he became aware of the cold spot against his back. Now the dark haired man understood why he hadn't fallen over. It almost felt as if someone had an arm around him, and the hand was lightly trailing across his waist, and heading higher. Law made a faint sound, and took a few steps forward. The surgeon hastily twisted around and shined the flashlight backward, but there was no one standing there.

Law peered around in the gloom. It had seemed as if there was someone standing directly behind him, but now they weren't. Law wondered if someone was down there with him after all. Law set his jaw at the thought, about to demand that the person show themselves, when a loud, sharp knock rang out behind him. Law whirled around at the particularly loud noise, and shined his flashlight this way and that. There was nothing in the poor lighting that would explain either the noise or the touch of an unseen arm and hand.

Th…thump.

The sound was louder, and this time it sounded like something being dragged, and tossed around. Law shined the flashlight on the door that he had seen coming down into the cellar. Were the unexplained noises coming from behind the door? Law headed over to it, and ran a hand over the aged cedar door, but found no way to open it.

BANG!

Law stumbled back a few steps as the noise echoed in the small space. It sure as hell sounded as if someone were pounding on the door. A demanding sound. Oddly enough, it seemed to be trying to get his attention.

From the other side of the door.

Law inched forward and ran a hand over the door once more, using the flashlight to check for a handle. Again, there appeared to be no way to open it. It was like someone had just decided to put a door in for decoration.  It didn't explain how it sounded like there was someone on the other side knocking on it, if that was the case.

Another loud knock sounded from behind him, and Law turned, irritated and ready to try and demand an answer again. Law paused mid breath, when he saw that it was only Ace knocking on the wooden railing to get his attention.

Ace blinked in the bright light of the flashlight, wondering why the man hadn't answered him when he'd called down the steps. Ace almost smirked at Law's rattled look, before he hooked a thumb over his shoulder, "There's a call for you. Someone from the hospital down the street." He'd only answered the phone because Law had been taking his time checking out the basement. Ace was only sorry that it hadn't been the owner of the house, or the school. He'd have had fun with that.

Law didn't stop to wonder why the cell in his pocket hadn't gone off, "Where?"

"Living room." Ace stepped aside to allow Law to race up the stairs, catching the flashlight as Law scrambled past in his attempts to reach the phone faster.

Knock...knock...

Ace frowned and lifted the flashlight, moving it to and fro. He could have sworn that he heard a knocking sound. Faulty pipes maybe. With a shrug, Ace turned and went back up the stairs, and shut the half sized door behind him as he went. Old houses made sounds, so he wasn't going to worry about it.

Down in the darkness, more knocking came from behind the door that Law couldn't open. The knocking stopped, as if someone were waiting and listening, before the sound started up again. Impatient and insistent.

Knock...knock...knock...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am now posting revised/edited chapters starting from todays date (again, FYI the fic was finished in 2014 on ffn). Some chapters will have more fixes in them than others.


	5. Unseen

Law located the house phone easily enough, as the phone was resting beside the charger where Ace had left it. If he hadn't been so intent on the context of the talk to come, the surgeon would have noticed that the cold had followed him up the stairs. Taking a breath to steady himself, Law picked the phone up and spoke smoothly into the receiver, calm and professional, "This is Trafalgar Law." There was soft laughter on the other end of the phone, and Law smirked a little as he recognized the feminine voice that spoke.

_"Well, don't you sound all grown up and professional, Doctor Law."_

"Hello, Monet. I didn't know you were working at a hospital." Law knew exactly which hospital he was likely getting the job at, as the light green haired woman had mentioned some months ago that she was going to apply there as a receptionist. Mainly because she needed some...legal work to do. Law had told her, straight-faced, that anyone that worked for Doflamingo needed a job like that, so that the cops didn't get suspicious of them all.

There was another laugh. _"You're direct, as usual. You can be so serious that it gets a little ridiculous. You should lighten up a little bit."_

"Any particular reason you're calling, or were you just trying to rub it in my face that you have a job, and I don't?" Law doubted that was the case, but Monet was the one who was beating around the bush.

_"You're no fun."_ Monet almost seemed a little disappointed that Law wasn't teasing her about something in return, _"And no, I was actually calling you to tell you that you were accepted as a surgeon here. It seems like the doctors you interned with were impressed with you when you were here. Some of the extra qualifications you had was in your favor as well. Plus, you nailed the interview."_

"And when am I supposed to come in to take care of the paperwork so I can start the job?" Law wasn't surprised that the qualifications he had had helped, and he had been rather sure of himself in the interview. He just hadn't been sure if he had come off as arrogant. It had been hard to tell with the woman that had interviewed him. But, it had gone well, and he had gotten the job at the hospital that had been his first choice.

_"Can you come in tomorrow morning at ten? There's quite a lot of things you need to fill in so that you can go operate on people."_

"I'll be there." It was sooner than Law had expected to be able to get a job, so he had no problem walking to the hospital the next day to take care of paperwork.

_"See you tomorrow then."_

Law hung up the phone, and stood up. The troubles he had experienced in the basement seemed to be distant with the good news of landing a job. Law turned and headed for the stairs, thinking that he may as well go and get things together for the next day. He'd hate to show up unprepared, and have people wonder if they should have gone with another doctor. A surgeon needed to have a level head and remember things. It would do the patient no good if he were distracted or forgetful.

Law entered the bedroom, pleased that it seemed like he was going to be able to get out of this house sooner rather than later. He'd be able to afford a home that didn't happen to have the heat give out in the middle of the night. Or even worry about anything in a new house going haywire, because everything would be brand new. But Law still had to be in this house for a few months before he made enough money to afford a newer place of his own. That meant that he would find out tonight whether it was going to drop in temperature again. It would let him know if he should be concerned about getting the furnace checked out by a professional.

As Law started to rummage around for his I.D. and other materials he'd need to bring with him, his thoughts strayed to the cellar-basement. The noises, and the cold, and the fact that it had felt like he had been touched a few times. And the nausea that had come with that bone-chilling cold that had swept over him.  Law pushed the unpleasant thought to the back of his mind. It had to have been the cobwebs, or something that had caught his shirt to give the sensation of someone touching him. For the cold, Law had no good explanation.  Because there had been no one down there to cause anything like he had experienced, and Law refused to entertain the idea of a ghost. Law didn't believe in someone lingering after death.

Dead was dead.

-x-

Down in the cellar-like basement, the knocking and banging sounds had all but stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. It had been silent for the past fifteen minutes. The one that had been making all of the sounds was not at all pleased that he had been pointedly ignored.

Again.

Kid, on the other side of the door, blew out a low sigh of frustration. The red head turned away from the door, and went further into the low-ceilinged room. He was very disappointed that Law hadn't come inside the hidden room. He had been standing right outside it. Kid had hear him running his hands along the door, but he hadn't been able to open it. Kid was beginning to wonder if his lover had hit his head or something. He was acting oddly; more so than was usual for the doctor. Kid had even tried to get him to move down the stairway more quickly, impatient with the man that he was still playing dumb.

It was one of their games. One that the two had started doing earlier in their relationship. There was just something that turned the two of them on about hiding down in a cellar behind locked doors, where no one could hear the occasional screams and gasps and moans. Kid would sometimes hide himself away in this room, and if the doctor really wanted to see him, he would come down to the cellar to find him. Kid leaned against an operating table as his lips twisted in amusement as he remembered the first time that Law had laid his eyes on the room. Kid could even hear the doctor, after all this time, commenting dryly at what was before him.

_'I didn't know you had something like this beneath your house.' Lips quirk in a dark, sexy smile as the doctor's eyes rove over the room._

_'Have to hide it, otherwise I'll get busted.' The red head's smile matches the other's. He can tell that, despite the doctor's job of saving people, he likes what he sees in that hidden room._

Kid pushed away from the table. He could almost feel his lovers slender arms wrap around him from behind, hands trailing along light and teasingly. He missed that, even if he enjoyed getting the jump on Law more often.

_'I think I want to operate on you, Eustass-ya.' The dark-haired man breathes, as he leans up on his toes to nip at his lover's neck lightly._

_Kid growls lowly and seizes the dark-hared man as he pushes him against the table, 'I think I'll operate on you first.'_

_The head tilts up, and the doctor's eyes shine with barely contained lust, 'I don't know if I should let you. You don't have certification.'_

_The red head grins as he leans forward and bites down harshly on the side of his lover's neck, 'Don't worry, doctor, I'll take good care of you.'_

_Two twisted grins mirrored one another._

Kid swept the memories away as he idly ran a hand along the shelves in the room. The red head silently looked at all of the devices and sharp knives and scalpels that he and his lover had collected over the years. Kid dropped his hand, and headed for the door. Oh well. There was always next time. He would have to try something a little more direct, since Law was apparently still ignoring his presence.

Kid did so hate to be ignored. It tended to make him think about all the things he could do to Law to punish him, when the other purposefully ignored him. The last time it had happened, that Kid could recall, was when he and the doctor had gotten one another a little more ruffed up than usual, and Law had stormed off amidst a very vocal and violent confrontation. Kid didn't see him for two weeks. The red head had run across Law on the street, but the doctor had feigned ignorance and refused to look at him. Sure, they got back together a few nights later, but Kid couldn't stand the fact that his lover had basically ignored his very existence.

Kid slid through the now open door, and glanced up the stairs from the cellar.

No, he was definitely going to get Law to acknowledge him, one way or another. The red head went up the stairs, before he settled against a wall on the main floor of the house. Kid scowled a little as Ace walked past him, and supposed that he was going to have to wait for that noisy teen to leave, so that he and Law could have some privacy. Kid had to wonder why Law was allowing the two teens to live in _his_ house with the two of them, but the red head figured that Law had plans for them. Law always had plans, and Kid loved the more twisted ones that his lover came up with.

-x-

"Law! If you have money I'll get you groceries." Ace called up from the bottom of the stairs. He felt a bit chilled, standing there, but maybe the house was just cold. If Law hadn't gone downstairs to check the furnace, Ace would have gone down to check himself.

Law's voice came out from the master bedroom after a moment's pause, "I'll get my own, Ace. I'm trying to get things ready to go to the hospital tomorrow."

"Does that mean you got the job?" Ace checked to make sure he had his wallet, before tucking it away. The teen supposed that was why the hospital had called. The receptionist he had talked to had been polite, but the tone in her voice made Ace refrain from yanking her chain. Only a little, though. She sure had been flattered when Ace had half-jokingly said she had a beautiful voice over the phone. She sounded taken aback, before an icy tone had entered her voice, and told him to get Law.

He had.

"Yes. Now go already. Weren't you going to leave a half hour ago?" Law was unaware that Monet had basically threatened Ace without words to not mess around with her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going now." Ace exited the house and closed the door. As Ace walked down the sidewalk, he didn't realize that the door had closed a little more heavily because an invisible force had helped it move along faster.

-x-

Law flopped onto the bed with a low growl of frustration. He'd looked everywhere for it, but he couldn't find his I.D. Not that the people at the hospital would mind for the first day, since they knew him from when he worked at the hospital as an intern. Law would be able to get everything settled, but if he wanted to actually operate on patients and get paid, he needed to find out where in the hell his damned I.D. had walked off to.

The dark haired surgeon turned over onto his side as he frowned deeply in thought. Where could it have gone? He had needed it to get onto the airplane, and to flash at Crocodile, though he was fairly certain the violet haired man wouldn't have cared one way or another. He'd already been recommended by Doflamingo, so that was all the I.D. that Law would have needed to give Crocodile.

Law began to become aware of a cold breeze sweeping over him, before he shivered. That was odd. It was perfectly fine in this room when he had woken up, and when he had come up moments before to search for what he needed. Whatever Law had expected to be the cause of the unexplained cold was driven from his mind when he felt a hand, or what felt like one, slowly slide up his stomach to his chest. It was as if someone was caressing him...

What in the hell…?

Law rolled across the bed and propped himself up halfway, wondering if he'd imagined a hand touching him. Like when he had been down in the cellar. Law wondered if it could be something psychological; a leftover from his flight. Law was silent as he studied the rest of the bed warily, as if expecting someone to suddenly be there.  To leave an indentation on the bed, which would have gotten Law out of the room and the house, to hell with his thoughts on what he believed about ghosts and hauntings.

The dark haired surgeon was completely taken aback when he felt a hand, and he could tell it was one from the feel of it, shove him hard in the chest. Cold swept over him, the same kind that he had experienced from the night before. Law fell backward onto the bed, and before he could think to move, he was forced down further by a heavy pressure. Law began to panic when he realized that he couldn't see anyone, even though it felt like someone was pinning him down with their weight.

Law began to try and free himself from whatever unearthly pressure was holding him down, and the longer he struggled, the more he began to wonder if he were wrong about the afterlife. Law's efforts grew more desperate when two hands began to make their way down his sides in a slow caress, one hand feeling distinctly colder than the other. Like metal. Law still couldn't see anything, but the hands seemed to be more solid the longer the caresses continued. Law tried to wriggle free, but stopped with a sharp intake of air when the hands dropped down and squeezed his hips in a firm grip. One of warning, Law noted dimly.

What was going on?

The hands let go of Law's hips, having made the point that the dark haired man shouldn't try and get away, and began to creep back over him. The hands slid up beneath Law's shirt, making the doctor become more aware of the metal-like hand, as it and the other hand moved up slowly toward his chest. To Law's horror, his shirt was actually lifted up from where those hands should have bee able to be seen.  Law's head dropped back onto the bed as the fingertips twisted his nipples, and after a few more pulls at the nubs, Law couldn't help but bite back a moan at the sensation.  The dark haired surgeon barely heard what sounded like a low, amused male laughing at him for his reaction to the touch.

By now Law's heart had begun to race, his mind refusing to acknowledge that something he couldn't see was groping him with rough, precise moments of those unseen hands. Law bit his lip when he realized that it was feeling more and more like a body pinning him down, and Law's breath hitched when the unseen fingers suddenly pinched down with greater pressure. Law was not at all accustomed to the odd caresses and touches, as he hadn't exactly had the time for any relationships with his busy schedule. At least, not for several years.

Law squirmed as the hands kept up their teasing, and the surgeon squeezed his eyes shut, subconsciously tilting his head back onto the bed as he struggled to regain his breath. The dark haired man's skin crawled when the hands drifted back down to his sides, nails scraping lightly along on his right side. Law felt a puff of cold air against his throat, and that was all the warning he received before something bit down harshly on the side of his neck in a rough bite.

Law let out a strangled cry of utter shock, and renewed his efforts to free himself. He absolutely refused to believe in the paranormal, but there was really no other explanation for what was happening to him. It was like some ghost had decided that it wanted to make out with him, or was trying to, anyway, and Law could only hope he didn't end up with a hickey.

He wanted this to all be a dream. It had to be, even if it was embarrassing as hell that his body was seeming to remind him that he hadn't been in a relationship for a long while. Not that he had realized that being bitten was apparently a turn on for him, but the fact that his damn dick reacted to it let him know it did. It wouldn't have ever crossed his mind. Law, unfortunately, was fairly certain that he was fully awake. The bite on his neck hurt, and whoever had done it was slowly increasing the pressure, and it made him writhe, the way those teeth set into his skin, refusing to let go.

Law kept his eyes firmly shut against the sensation, and gritted out tersely, "Go away. Whoever the hell you are, leave me alone." The pressure of the bite stopped at once as a soft breath, almost like an exhalation of surprise, sounded. The presence that had been holding him down, as well as the cold, retreated. Law was left lying on his back on the bed in a suddenly room temperature bedroom.

Heart racing, Law took a few calming breaths and sat up. He thought he heard something crash in the distance, but that wasn't important right now. His throbbing neck was. Since he couldn't bring himself to feel it, Law stood and walked stiffly into the master bathroom, still a bit in shock at what had just happened. And the fact that the bite and the touches had half aroused him. Law put that far from his mind as he settled on inspecting his neck.

Law stared at himself in the mirror, heart hammering in his chest in surprise as he stared at the unmistakable bite-mark, and soon to be hickey, against the left side of his throat. Law traced a finger lightly around the mark, and winced. He was going to need something to clean the bite-mark and cover it up. He did not want anyone to see the bite. It would only lead to awkward questions and the renewal of the rumors that Law had some kind of relationship with Doflamingo.

The dark haired surgeon liked to think that he was a very rational man, but there was no other explanation for what had just happened to him. The damn house that he was renting from Crocodile was haunted, and the surgeon was very displeased that such a thing could even exist in real life. Law eyed the bite in the mirror again. But the fact was staring him in the eyes, and he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. Law stooped down to rummage around in a drawer for something to clean the mark with.

If the dark-haired man had looked up at that exact moment, he would have seen Kid reflected in the mirror from where he was seated on the bed. The red head looked decidedly angry and yet a little confused, that he'd been stopped.


	6. Uneasy Calm

Ace didn't think much of the cold that he had felt in the house the further away he got from the place. It would have never crossed his mind that there was actually something paranormal in the house.   If he had proof, he might believe a paranormal explanation, but until then, the cold sensation was driven from his mind.

Ace turned a corner, and headed past several houses, as he made his way to the store to get some groceries, as he had told Law he would earlier. The older black haired teen paused near the back of the high school, where he spotted a group of teenagers laughing at something that one of the others must have just said. Ace recognized them as other delinquents that managed to only occasionally be caught in the act. Ace's acts just happened to be more flashy and sometimes more dangerous than one of the other teens roughing someone up for their money, or just to assert their dominance over them.

The freckled teenager would have continued on his way to the store, when one of the teens voices was loud enough that he could hear it clearly as he passed by.

"...Yeah man, I hear ya. That crazy brat punched me in the gut the last time I tried shakin' him up for money."

"Loser. How could a kid four years younger than you beat you so bad?"

"It wasn't my fault! The bloody kid has a hard punch!"

"Which little loser was it? I can help you out the next time you wanna beat up on him. Or try to, anyway."

"Luffy. You know, Ace's younger brother."

"Ace's brother? I didn't know that pyro freak had a brother. I'll join you next time too. I ain't goin' anywhere near Ace though. Crazy bastard. He lit a trash can on fire a few weeks ago and it singed my back!"

Ace had heard enough, and he veered off course, crossing the lawn and heading right for the other teenagers. It was one thing to threaten to bully his brother, but it was another thing entirely to hear these idiots plan it out in his presence. Ace let slip a warning glare as he eyed the suddenly silent teens, who had finally noticed his approach, and just who he was. Seeing he had made them all quiet, Ace spoke in a low, dangerous tone, "If I ever see any of you dumbasses lay a hand on my brother, I'll make you regret it."

The group of four teens exchanged wary glances with one another, before they started to laugh. The one that had spoken up first spoke for all four of them, "Why the fuck should we listen to you fire boy? You're always skipping school or being kicked out for weeks at a time. You wouldn't even know if we shook up your brother for money, cause you're never around." The teen stepped forward and shoved Ace hard in the chest, sending him back a few steps.

The other teens laughed dutifully at the sight, and the leader of the group grinned confidently, moving forward in anticipation of a fight, "Get lost, loser. I'll do whatever I want, and you can't stop me."

Ace didn't even bother to respond verbally, especially when the fool punched him this time. He caught the other teen's next swing, and swung back with twice the force. Even when the other teens joined in, Ace refused to back down now that the fight was in progress. He wasn't going to run, even if he was outnumbered. He wasn't going to let anyone harass or harm his brother if there was something he could do about it to prevent it from happening.

-x-

Law was relieved that the ghost or whatever the hell was in the house happened to be leaving him alone now. Too bad the ghost couldn't have continued to do that in the first place, instead of touching him and biting him. Law lingered in the living room, his throbbing neck distracting him again. The surgeon tentatively ran a finger along it, before he winced faintly and left it alone. Law had found it odd that, even after he had cleaned the bite mark and covered it up with a bit of gauze, that his room had still felt a little cooler.

If Law didn't know any better, he could have almost sworn that the ghost or whatever was being moody and glum after being told off. The atmosphere of the house seemed to give off that vibe, especially after he left the master bedroom and had headed downstairs. It was a sensation that Law couldn't come up with a logical explanation for.

But Law's words seemed to have had an effect on whoever had been accosting him, because for the rest of the day, he had nothing paranormal happen to him again. Not even any cold spots appearing out of the blue in the house, which made Law realize that there was nothing causing drafts in the house other than a ghost, it seemed.

Law started when he heard the front door open, before he relaxed when he realized that it was only Ace returning from the store. Law frowned at a nearby clock. He'd been gone for hours, and by now school would be done. Had he waited for Luffy to get out of school before getting groceries? Law rose out of the chair he had been curled up on, reading a book, and headed to the front entryway. Law stood there, faintly entertained by the sight of both Ace and Luffy laden with bags of groceries, both teens looking as if they were about to topple over from the sheer amount of groceries.

Law made the decision then and there to keep his encounter with the invisible person, ghost, whatever, to himself. There was no point in getting Luffy excited at the prospect of a ghost, especially since it seemed to be a horny one. And Law figured that Ace would just laugh it off. To distract himself from thoughts about the touchy ghost, Law took in Ace's beaten up appearance, and spoke, wearing a wry grin, "You sure took a long time getting those groceries. Did something happen?"

Ace offered a lopsided smile in return, "There was something that I had to take care of first. It took a little longer than I thought, and I didn't realize the cops were gonna be involved."

Law didn't need to ask Ace what he'd done to get the cops involved. The dark haired doctor figured that he knew what Ace was hinting at. It was rather obvious to Law from the teen's beaten up and slightly bloody appearance that he had gotten into a fight.  One that he had won, since he didn't seem too badly injured if he could go get groceries.

Luffy turned to Ace, looking as if he had just remembered something, "Oh, one of the teachers said that he saw you and the other guys fighting. The school said you're going to have two more weeks of suspension for beating people up and setting one of their backpacks on fire."

Ace swore, "I didn't think anyone saw, except for some pedestrians that called the cops." Letting out a sigh, Ace carried the groceries to the kitchen, while Luffy followed along after him.

"Did you give those guys a good slugging before you lit things on fire?"

"Of course I did! I'm not going to walk away from a fight!"

Law remained motionless for a moment, before he began to smirk. It seemed that Ace was more of a trouble maker than he had initially thought. At least he hadn't ended up killing anyone, since what he did mainly seemed to be in response to helping other people in trouble. Especially his brother. Law closed his eyes. He, on the other hand, had done such things. He'd killed people before, and that was before he had turned to doing a legit job. Sometimes causing death to another person had bothered him, but other times, the ones that had died had deserved it, Law had no trouble sleeping at night whatsoever.

There had been a reason behind his decision to become a surgeon after working on and off for Doflamingo over the past few years. He had gotten very skilled at taking people apart in interesting and sometimes disturbing ways, so putting them back together after careful operations was something he had felt suited for. It was a bit different saving lives than ending them, but Law had eventually reached the decision that he had no desire to be put into jail. Doflamingo covered anyone's tracks who worked for him, so Law had no reason to worry that his past would come back to haunt him.

-x-

Kid had watched the exchange between Law and the two teens, before he had turned and wandered off to the master bedroom. Kid settled on the bed moodily, a scowl implanted on his face as he tried to figure out why in the hell Law had stopped him earlier. The skinny bastard had even had the balls to claim to not know who he, Eustass Kid, was.

The red haired man flopped onto his side, tracing a hand along the sheets absently. Hell, what he had done to his lover had been almost tame, considering some of the things the two of them would get up to. Kid knew Law liked it when he was more gentle than rough with him. It made it more exciting to the both of them when one of them didn't know when the other was going to be merciless again.

Kid closed his eyes. Not for the first time in the past few days did the red head wonder if there had been something that he had done wrong. Something that would make Law do this to him. To pointedly ignore him, and act like he didn't know who he was. If that was the way Law was going to be, Kid was going to have to figure out just what was making the doctor act this way. To make things right again. A thought crossed the red head's mind, and despite the fact that he despised the idea, it seemed like a good thing to do for now. Kid would keep a low profile, though only for a little while, and observe Law, to see if anything obvious was the problem.

If and when he found something, Kid would try something else to get Law's undivided attention. He knew his lover liked what he had in mind to happen occasionally. He'd try it in a few days, unless Law gave him some kind of sign to acknowledge him, and let him know he'd merely been toying with him. Kid didn't mind so much if that was the case. He loved it when Law messed around with him this way and played his damn mind games.

But for now, all Kid could do was keep trying and hope for some kind of acknowledgment, whether it was verbal or not. Kid still wanted to punish Law for leaving him alone, but Kid couldn't do that to him right now. Not until Law gave him some sign that he did know who he was.

It wouldn't be as fun to play around with Law and make him writhe and scream otherwise.

Kid had waited a long time. A few more days was nothing at all to him at this point.

-x-

Several uneventful days passed by, and while paranormal occurrences had still occurred now and then, it wasn't anything like being touched. Law could live with not finding the house keys for a few minutes, or finding his other belongings in different areas of the house. He merely looked around until he found them, and went on with his day. That it only seemed to be happening to the doctor made the dark haired man wonder if the ghost was trying to get a rise out of him. Especially when things repeatedly went missing that he happened to need at certain times during the day (like his keys, his wallet, or his hospital I.D.).

Law refused to acknowledge that the ghost was starting to irritate him, slightly, with the childish acts, but didn't want to do anything about it. Since he had been all but ignoring the presence, it appeared to have been leaving him alone, more or less. Law hadn't felt cold these past few nights, as the room had remained at a level temperature, which Law decided meant that the ghost wasn't hanging around and watching him sleep. It was a bit of a disturbing thought to think that the ghost had stared at him while sleeping.  Law had, along with the items going missing and the occasional knocking sounds, noticed cold spots here and there as he went from room to room. The cold never lingered for long, as if the ghost were merely checking to see where he was in the house.

The only time Law felt he could actually relax after his run in the with ghost a few days previously had been when he was at the hospital. He was much calmer and collected at work, and despite the hectic pace that was set, Law found himself far less stressed out there than back at the house. Law had managed to find his I.D. after he had taken care of the bite mark on his neck. It had been down in the cellar for some reason, lying on the ground directly in front of the door that had no handle to open it with. Law presumed that he must have dropped it when he had come to check the furnace the other day. Not that he remembered having it on him at the time, but it made him feel slightly better if he didn't attribute its temporary loss to a ghost.

Law cast a wary look around the immediate area, a small tingling sensation between his shoulder blades. The dark haired man had the uneasy feeling that the ghost might be watching him, from a distance. For whatever reason that might be.

The surgeon gave his head a shake as he went up the stairs to the master bedroom, inwardly thinking about how the hospital was a very welcome distraction. The praise he received from his coworkers, and the thanks he received from the family members of a patient he had operated on early in the morning that day had made the ghost issue seem far away. Almost like a bad dream. Only it hadn't been, because Law still has the bite mark, even if it had all but faded by now. Law could only hope that the ghost would soon decide to leave him alone for good, especially if he didn't interact with it.

As Law entered the room, he didn't notice the presence that suddenly appeared to linger just outside the doorway to the bedroom.

Watching him as he moved about the room.

Watching, and waiting.


	7. Contact

Little brothers, Ace decided, were unexpectedly adapt at getting on their older siblings nerves.

But not without a lot of trail and error figuring out how best to get on those nerves. 

Ace tried to focus on the magazine in his hands, but that soon failed, as his brother's voice cut across the room.

"Ace, we're out of meat." Luffy whined as he flopped onto his bed.

Ace looked up from the magazine. He had the feeling that he wouldn't be getting back to it any time soon, "Yeah? And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Go get more." Luffy responded immediately, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Ace set the magazine aside and eyed his brother, but didn't say anything. Most of the time Luffy acted his age, but when it came to food, especially meat, Luffy seemed to revert to a much younger age, and pestered him continually. Ace tried to stand firm and not give in. Luffy was more than capable of getting food for himself. They were in a relatively safe neighborhood, at least during the daytime, and he knew Luffy had some money. Ace kept most of what Garp gave them, since they needed more than just meat all the time.

Luffy noticed the silence and tilted his head to the side, peeking over at Ace settled in a chair nearby, "I won't be able to get all the meat I want. You can carry more than I can."

"...and why aren't you coming along?" Ace questioned, before he saw that Luffy had suddenly fallen sleep, and was now snoring rather heavily. Ace shook his head fondly, amused that the two of them, and their grandfather, could fall asleep at any time, even during a conversation. "You're lucky you're my kid brother, or I'd make you go get the stuff yourself. I know you can carry just as much weight as I can." Ace stood and stretched, reaching over to ruffle the younger teen's hair, before he left the bedroom.

As soon as Ace left the room, and another door shut elsewhere in the house, Luffy peeked an eye open and grinned. Ace should have known that he had been faking slumber. He wouldn't have dared to try that around Grap. His grandpa would have been liable to smack him upside the head for daring to do such a thing, especially if they were having a talk.

Luffy sat up, before he pushed himself off the bed, and lingered near the open doorway, listening. When he had decided that Ace had actually gone out of the house, Luffy's grin widened. The younger teen went bounding down the stairs, having already made a decision during school that day that he wanted to check out the basement of the house. Mainly because both Law and Ace had told him not to, which meant that Luffy believed they were hiding something from him. Like the fact that there might be treasure down there, or something just as cool.

Luffy seized the flashlight lying on a table in the living room, before he approached the small door that led down to the basement. Luffy cracked the door open, held still to make sure that Law hadn't heard him, before he turned the flashlight on to light his way. The light bulb had been replaced, but Luffy didn't turn it on. A treasure hunt would be much cooler if it seemed creepy and mysterious. At least, that was what Luffy believed as he headed down the stairs. The younger teen had enough sense to not tinker with the furnace or water heater, but he did wander over to check out the shelves in the other corner of the cellar.

The flashlight passed over brick wall, and after a moment's inspection, there was something in the wall that Luffy could see when he passed the flashlight over it again. Was that something shiny he had seen flickering at him in the dim light? Excited that he may have found some kind of treasure, Luffy reached out with his free hand and worked at the brick. It took a few moments, but he succeeded in getting a piece loose. Luffy shined the flashlight inside the opening he had created, before he reached in it with a few fingers. His thumb and forefinger clasped on something leathery-feeling, and Luffy drew the item out. It was a small bag that clinked when he shook it. Like there was money in it. Luffy immediately began to look for more loose bricks, setting aside the prize that he had found.

As Luffy focused on the brick with the sole intent of finding even more treasure, or what he thought constituted as treasure, he didn't realize there were other sounds going on around him in the cellar basement.

The young teen didn't notice the almost silent, echoing footsteps in the area or the faint sound of scraping coming from behind the non-functioning boiler.

-x-

Law had intended to go through a few folders that he had brought back with him from the hospital. To study up on a few procedures, to make sure he had the information in his mind correct. At the moment, though, he found that he was too tired to do that. Law lay on his bed after he had closed the curtains to block out the light. He was exhausted, despite the fact that he hadn't quite worked a full week. He had expected things to be busy but Law hadn't quite realized that he would feel this way. At least not until a few months had gone by, letting him fall into a not always the same schedule work week. Law was a specialized surgeon that mainly dealt with trauma injuries, so he was also on call when he wasn't working the regular day hours that he and another surgeon at the hospital had worked out between them.

The dark haired man thought that he heard some kind of query, a faint voice, sounding from just outside of the bedroom, but brushed it off. He let out a low, drawn out sigh as he muttered under his breath, "Just what I didn't need." Law had believed that the ghost problem would have gone away if he ignored it, but apparently that might not be the case. And that wasn't his only problem that he needed to think about.

Law had discovered that he would soon need to find a way to make the other doctors not notice that blood didn't bother him. It wasn't uncommon for someone to have a strong stomach, but to be completely unfazed, not so much. Especially since a few patients in the past few days had been rather banged up, and he was already getting slightly bored and irritated of being told in advance of how bad the injuries were. Unlike many people, Law didn't need to be told someone's condition until right before he saw them. He liked being able to take in the situation himself, and then act accordingly. He didn't want a misinterpretation on someone else's part to cause more harm to the patient.

Law didn't realized he'd grumbled his quandary aloud, because he suddenly felt the room temperature drop a bit. Law held perfectly still. The cold didn't go away. It lingered, signaling that the ghost was somewhere nearby, and perhaps watching him mutter aloud to himself. Law closed his eyes and smiled. Maybe he could get the ghost to leave him alone if he said something to make it think he was crazy. Law's lips quirked further at the thought of scaring off a ghost, instead of vice versa, and spoke, a little louder this time, "I've caused injuries a lot more damaging than what I've seen in the E.R. so far, so I really don't need a warning about how much blood I'm going to be seeing. I appreciate the thought, but it's unnecessary for me.  The sight of blood really doesn't bother me."

The surgeon shivered as the room suddenly got a whole lot colder. Perhaps acknowledging the ghost by speaking to it hadn't exactly been the best idea. Though Law had no way of knowing that it was his words that had affected the ghost. The dark haired doctor was about to find out just how much he had gotten the invisible spirit's attention.

Law definitely hadn't been at all prepared for the ghost to jump him.

-x-

Kid was going to fucking kill Law for being such a damn tease. The red head been ignored for all this time, and then the son of a bitch just causally decided to speak to him, without even looking over at him. Kid was prepared to manhandle Law to get his attention, since they were alone, but the doctor's words had thrown him for a loop. They had talked about his occupation in the past, but this had been one of the only times Law had actually admitted to killing another person. Or inferring that he had. And he was supposed to be a doctor who saved people's lives.

Thoughts of being rough all but vanished as Kid took in that damn sexy twisted smirk that Law was still wearing, even though his eyes were closed. Kid decided that he could leave any punishment until later. The red head was going to go through with his original plan from a few days ago. Kid was already excited and aroused at the very idea of what he was going to do to Law as he all but launched himself onto the bed at the man.

Kid laughed when he ended up knocking Law over onto his back, startling the dark haired man and making the smirk fade away into one of surprise. Kid grinned wolfishly as he rested his weight just above Law's waist, giving himself enough room to access the other man's pants. Kid noticed Law twitch his hands in a motion that meant he was thinking of trying to move away. The red head muttered something crossly under his breath as he reached over with his artificial left limb and seized Law's wrists. Kid held on with a crushing grip, mainly to let Law know that he wasn't going anywhere until he was done with him. "You're being really fucking weird, doc. But that's fine. It's hot when you act like such a damn prick.  Getting under my skin with talk like that." Kid let his right hand drop to Law's belt, "And speaking of that...I think I'm gonna make you beg right now. You know I hate it when you tease me too much.  It's gone on long enough."

Kid found it rather annoying that, as he was undoing the belt one handed, that Law only then seemed to come to the realization of what was going on. Especially when Kid tugged the pants down slightly and out of the way. That the doctor didn't hold still made Kid wonder if he were actually protesting what he was about to do, or denying that Kid had caught him at his game.  Hell, he could have even been trying to feign ignorance. Kid leaned up closer over Law, so that he could breathe against his bare neck. Kid's grip on Law's wrists tightened ever so slightly as he spoke, "You shouldn't talk about cutting people up and putting them back together if you aren't in the mood. You know that turns me on." Kid darted his tongue out across Law's throat, smirking when the surgeon swallowed heavily, and shook a little. Though the shaking could have been because Kid had wasted no time in slipping his right hand into Law's boxers and grabbing his cock to give his lover a hand job. Kid paused in brushing his lips to the surgeon's throat momentarily as he slid his hand along, before he went to nibbling one of Law's earlobes, the red head's teeth clinking against the earrings that were there.

Kid found Law squirming to be funny as hell, like the doctor was somehow uncomfortable with the red head giving him a hand job. Well wasn't that just too fucking bad. Because it had been a long time since Kid had touched his lover, and the red head found that he had while he had missed the doctor, he had missed Law's cock too. Kid sighed wistfully as he reluctantly released Law's ear, and let go of Law's wrists. The position they were in was a bit awkward, and Law was still protesting with small whines, though with the occasional moan thrown in that he couldn't quite hold back.

Such a damn tease.

Kid used his left arm to snake beneath Law's back, and he lifted the darker haired man up, making him issue a sound of complete and utter shock. Kid snorted softly. The doctor was beginning to irritate him, still acting like he didn't want this. Kid crushed Law up against him, using his body to pin one of the surgeon's arms, and using his left hand to pinion Law's other arm against his side. Law made a few quieter protests, but it seemed to Kid that he had finally given up pretending like he wasn't there. He wasn't struggling as much either, and was blinking blearily around, like he couldn't quite figure out something.

Well, Kid could give him something to think about. With a sneaky smile, Kid wrapped his hand around Law's dick again and flicked the tip with a thumb, before sliding his hand along a little faster.  He'd pulled the doctors boxer's down to give him better access. Law jerked a little in surprise, and when his eyes squeezed shut, Kid's smile widened. Good, the little bastard wasn't going to stop him now. Kid took his time, occasionally digging a finger down against the tip, just to make the other man writhe and gasp out something unintelligible. The slight teasing on Kid's part forced out little sounds from Law, and from those little gasps, it made the red head wonder if the doctor hadn't had his dick handled for a long time. Kid highly doubted that was the case. He had yet to see the boyfriend that the violet haired man had mentioned, but Kid presumed that they didn't just fuck and then leave him hanging to take care of himself later.

Kid heard Law's breath start to hitch, and he leaned in to kiss him, mainly because he couldn't get the image of Law smiling at him in the way he had. Plus, Kid wanted to kiss him when the doctor came. It got him even more turned on, and Law sometimes even bit him, because he hadn't given him enough time to breathe. It only took a few more strokes to get Law to release, but what shocked Kid completely was that Law, instead of letting out a scream or a breathy moan or something, the surgeon let out a small, choked sound.

And fainted.

Kid broke the kiss abruptly, and stared down at the unconscious Law. The red head blinked in complete and utter confusion as he lay the doctor down on the bed. Kid reluctantly removed his right hand from Law's cock as he tilted his head. Kid frowned at the dark haired man sprawled on his back, motionless except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and there was only one thing on the red head's mind.

Why the fuck had his lover passed out?

-x-

Law woke, shivering, and unable to move. He felt physically drained, and not just because the ghost had suddenly decided to jump and molest him. It had been unexpected, because Law hadn't planned on his words actually triggering anything. Embarrassingly enough, it had been some time since anyone had touched him in that way. Law lay on his back for several minutes, before he finally was able to move his limbs around and get them to move the way he wanted them to. Law sat up, still shaking slightly. He felt as though almost all of the warmth of his body had been taken from him. Law rubbed his arms in an effort to get his blood circulating, and looked around, as if expecting to see the ghost that had accosted him.

There was, again, no one there, and Law was alone.

A full half hour passed before Law trusted his body enough to stand up, and headed straight for the bathroom. He needed new clothing after that unexpected encounter, and a shower. A very long, and cold, shower. Law pointedly tried to not image those cold lips that had been against him, and smirking, as if amused by his protests and trying to free himself from the unwanted touch.

Law left his head under the water of the shower, trying desperately to forget those same cold lips locking onto his, almost as if in desperation. Law hadn't been able to breathe, and as soon as he had come undone by that unseen hand, he had lost consciousness. Law's body had craved air, and he had been unable to get any with those ghostly lips trying to explore his mouth. Law shuddered and ran his hands over his face beneath the water cascading down on him.

-x-

Law struggled to put the incident to the back of his mind. It was just hard to come to grips with the fact that the ghost hadn't left him alone after all. Law frowned in thought as he headed to the kitchen. Why was the ghost or spirit or whatever so fixated on him? Neither Ace or Luffy had mentioned anything about the ghost bothering them.

Just him.

Law entered the kitchen, and was relieved that nether Luffy or Ace were there. He was fairly certain that he hadn't managed to get the rattled look off of his face quite yet. The doctor rummaged around in the fridge, before plucking out some leftovers, and popping it into the microwave to reheat. As he waited for the food to heat up, Law found his eyes drawn to a small mirror over the nearby sink. He figured that either Crocodile had put it there, or that it had been there since...

Law's musings came to a screeching halt as he did a double take of his reflection in the mirror. There was a red haired man standing a few feet behind him, and to his left. The unknown male was far more muscular than Law could ever hope to make his body, and the red head had...an artificial left arm.

Law stumbled to the side as he whipped around, but there was no one standing there. Law felt his heart thudding in his chest from the sudden shock, and the dread that soon began to sink in. That cold metal limb he'd seen in the mirror had been holding him earlier, but Law hadn't seen the red head at the time. Law tried to remain calm, but the fact that he had actually glimpsed what the ghost looked like was just as disturbing as being touched by the other male when he'd been invisible to him.

Law had unfortunately made direct eye contact with the red head's amber ones in the reflection of the mirror. Even though Law had never seen the scarred male before, the doctor somehow just knew then and there that he wasn't going to be left alone now, no matter what he did.

The red headed male had been wearing a look of immense satisfaction, presumably because Law had finally seen him.

The dark haired surgeon had no way of knowing that that one look was all it took to make his life begin to spiral downward into a living hell.


	8. Night Job

Law had retreated into the office room on the first floor of the house by the time Ace returned from the store, laden with groceries. The surgeon likely wouldn't have cared one way or another in any case that there were more groceries.  Ace had barely made it into the kitchen before Luffy rushed in with a great big grin on his face. Ace set the groceries on the nearby counter and began to put them away, addressing his brother as he worked, "What is it this time? Did you hear a ghostly rapping on the wall or something?"

"No, and that only happened one night." Luffy crossed his arms, "And _you_ said that it was faulty pipes."

Ace put some of the food into the fridge, before he glanced over at Luffy, "I said that it _could_ be faulty pipes. I never said anything about it not being a ghost."

Luffy gave Ace an unimpressed look, "You don't even believe in them, and you always tell me that they don't exist."

Ace turned away, and grabbed a sandwich from one of the bags, which he tossed at Luffy, "You can believe all you want, but there's no such thing as ghosts and spirits and things that go bump in the night. That's robbers, by the way. They get their heads bumped by me if they ever try to sneak into a place that I'm living."

"Except that one time it was Grandpa, and you knocked him out." Luffy examined the sandwich he had caught, before taking a bite out of it, "What happened after that anyway?"

The fact that Ace continued to put away the groceries led Luffy to believe that the exchange wasn't exactly pleasant. Luffy munched on the sandwich some more. It was tasty. By the time he had finished it, Ace was done putting the groceries away. It was only then that the younger teen remembered why he had come into the kitchen in the first place. Luffy seized Ace by the arm and tugged him toward the living room, "I found some treasure, Ace! I told you I would find something in this house!"

Ace allowed himself to be all but dragged into the living room, where Luffy let go of him to seize two leather pouches that he had left on the coffee table. Ace sat on the armrest on one end of the couch, and watched as Luffy upended one of the pouches.

A handful of large, golden coins clinked out onto the glass, old but still obviously very valuable.

Ace reached over and picked one up, twisting it this way and that between two fingers, "Where'd you find it?"

"Down in the basement."

Ace gave Luffy a look, "The basement Law wanted you to stay out of?"

"I didn't touch anything down there, other than the brick wall. That's where I found the bags. They were hidden behind some bricks."

"A brick wall that you'll now have to fix, or the person that Law is renting the house from is liable to get upset."

"I already put the bricks back. It doesn't even look like anything had been done to it." Luffy upended the other leather pouch over the table, and a ring fell out with a flash of gold and silver. A tiny, folded up piece of paper, faded with age, fluttered out after the ring. Luffy didn't seem to be as interested in the ring, but he carefully unfolded the piece of paper. It could be a treasure map. Luffy was very disappointed that it only had writing on it, so he set it aside. The golden coins were far more interesting to him now.

Ace examined the coin he held more closely. Just from a brief glance, it was obvious that the coin was very old, and there was no date on them. Only engravings and other markings, none of which made much sense to him. It almost resembled the golden medallions that Luffy was always yammering on about that pirates had in their treasure chests. Because pirates were always after treasure, and gold was one of the more valuable ones. Ace set the coin back down, ignoring Luffy scooping it up to look at it.

Ace's hand strayed to the ring, and picked it up. He held it up, and inspected it closely as he had the coin. The outside of the ring had gold and silver weaving in and out of one another, forming the ring itself. On the inside of the ring, it was all silver, and while it was tarnished with age, Ace could just make out a thin script that wove its way all around the inside of it. Ace set the ring back down on the table, and picked up the note that his brother had unfolded, but dismissed as uninteresting. It was small. Only about three by four inches, and the majority of it was taken up by neat handwriting.

Even though the text that had been scrawled had faded with time, Ace could still make out what it said:

_E._

_I picked this up the other day from one of my 'transactions'. Thought you'd be able to make some money off it because it has gold in it._

_I do hope you're ready to pay for what you did last week._

_I'll see you soon, though it'll be when you least expect it._

_T._

Ace wasn't sure what to make of that, but he pocketed the ring while Luffy wasn't looking. Since the person who had received the ring hadn't pawned it off, maybe he would be able to see how much it was worth.

A shadow fell across the back of the couch, but when Ace turned around, the shadow was gone. Ace did hear what sounded like a door being closed, but he dismissed it as Law doing the action. He hadn't realized that the doctor was still holed up in the office.

-x-

The whispers, Law had decided, were by far one of the most aggravating new developments he'd had to deal with since seeing the red head in the reflection of the mirror. The sounds and noises and whispers were all much more audible than they had been before. It was a male voice, and the tone was normally either angry or annoyed. Law presumed those emotions were aimed at him, for whatever reason, and by the ghost that was haunting the house.

Law had also begun to catch glimpses of the red head in other mirrors in the house, as if the ghost were trying to communicate with him. The dark haired doctor tried very hard to avoid looking directly at the red head, and had even began to avoid any and all reflective surfaces altogether.

The only time Law seemed to be able to escape from the ghost stalking him was at work. In short order, the hospital became his sanctuary. A place where the surgeon could go to ground himself and rationalize things. If he were calm and collected, Law had a much better time being able to ignore the ghostly intrusions into his life when he had to return to the house.

Law didn't realize that the more time he spent in the house, the more the ghost seemed to try and latch onto him, as if it was in desperate need for interaction. Law wasn't about to sympathize with it. The red headed ghost was dead, so that meant it should have moved on by now. Law was quite done with being touched unexpectedly, and feeling as if he had been drenched with cold water.

It really was quite an unpleasant sensation.

-x-

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon paused mid-step at the mention of his name, and turned to see Monet walking toward him.

Monet held back a laugh at the questioning look Law wore on his face, "Don't be so suspicious." The green haired woman lowered her voice, "Can we talk?"

Law immediately picked up on her tone, and nodded, speaking aloud as a nurse walked by, "Yes, I'd like to get some information on a patient."

Monet beamed at him with a practiced smile, "Right this way, doctor."

Inside the file room, clearly alone with no eavesdroppers, Monet held out a scrap of paper to Law, "The boss was hoping you had time to do something for him. If it worked in with your schedule, that is."

Law looked at the short hand written request, a little hesitant when he realized what it was that Doflamingo wanted him to do. However, it provided an opportunity to spend more time away from the house. Eventually, Law spoke aloud, "How discreet would I need to be?"

"Not very. The guy in question is going to be alone, so it should be quick for you if you move fast enough." Monet shook her head, "It'll need to look like an accident, but if you can't manage that, then make it seem like a robbery gone bad. That would be fine too."

"When?" Law asked, still studying the paper silently.

"Tonight." Seeing the weary glare thrown her way, Monet added, "You get done with work in a few hours. You won't have to worry about the cops. They'll be busy with something else that will coincide with the hit." Monet was silent as she watched Law think about it, before adding, "I know you don't particularly care for assassinations, but the boss believes that you'd be able to take care of it on your own."

"...I suppose if I go in prepared things will turn out all right. And that means I'll have to stop by the house to get ready, if Doflamingo-ya wants it done tonight." Law wondered if he ought to mention to the blond that he'd rather only do smuggling runs if he really wanted him to still work for him on occasion.

Monet left the room with a wave of her hand, "You'll get a call at the house when you get back from work, with some details."

-x-

Law went through his day without much thought about his new plans for the night, or his slowly increasing problem with the ghost in the house. Law had almost gone back to tell Monet to have Doflamingo call his cell, but he knew that his on again, off again boss wanted a secure line. Which was what Crocodile would have put into the house.

Law was ready for the phone when it rang, and picked it up as soon as he knew that neither Ace nor Luffy were within hearing distance. Law didn't even give the other man time to speak, "You know, Doflamingo-ya, if you want me to kill someone for you, you should just give me a call. You didn't have to have someone else offer the job to me."

Doflamingo laughed at that, _"Fufufufu. I figured that you would say no if I called you, doctor."_ There was a slight pause, before he spoke again, tone questioning, _"You'll do it?"_

"Yes, I'll do it. Who is it, and where are they going to be tonight?" Law picked up a scrap of paper and scribbled down the information that Doflamingo relayed to him. Law frowned, "I thought he was working for you." Law felt the temperature in the room start to drop, and he set his jaw, determined to ignore the red headed ghost.

_"Bellamy is a little too overzealous, so we need to stop that before he exposes all of us. I've had quite a lot of trouble trying to keep things covered up, but some of the cops are starting to become a little suspicious."_

"You want me to handle him on my own?" Law wasn't at all surprised to hear that Bellamy, and some others, for that matter, who occasionally worked for Doflamingo weren't being as discreet as they should have been. They seemed to think that they could do anything and get away with it, but there was a point that even Doflamingo couldn't fully keep things from getting out.

_"You should give yourself more credit Law. You can be very nasty when you want to be."_

"Provided that I have enough time to act before he tries to attack me when he realizes what's going on." Law really didn't like the sound of this, but figured that he did want a distraction from his ghostly problems. Law looked away from movement that he caught out of the corner of his eyes.

_"Do you want me to have someone else do it?"_

"...No, I'll handle it. Just make sure someone deals with the body when I'm done." Law closed his eyes briefly as the room temperature dropped further, and twitched when he felt an unseen hand brush across one of his thighs, sensual and searching. He really didn't need this right now.

_"Give me a call when you're finished, and I'll send someone out."_

"I'll do that." Law hung up, moving a little more quickly than was necessary, because the hand that had brushed his thigh had just given it a squeeze. Law was silent as he gathered what he needed for the night. The red headed ghost had followed him, thanks to the rather chilled air that lingered in every room that he went into. Law pointedly ignored it, and as soon as he was ready, he went out the front of the house, and shut the door behind him. Law walked a few steps, and while he shivered, he figured that it was just the brisk night air.

-x-

Kid followed after Law, though he had to open the door again when Law shut it on him. Bastard. This whole ignoring him was starting to grate on his nerves...

Kid grit his teeth, as a sudden wave of vertigo hit him, and he swayed just over the threshold of the front door. It almost felt as if he was being held back from exiting the house by some unseen force. Kid pulled against the sensation, and started to strain more forcefully when he began to hear a very, very faint voice telling him not to go. To stay there in the house. Kid blocked out the barely there voice, as he was far more intent on tagging along after Law. He wanted to see what his lover was getting up to. From the phone call the red head had just overheard, it had sounded like it was going to be dangerous, and illegal. Two things Kid quite liked.

The sensation of being held back slowly diminished, and Kid almost felt that someone or something was disappointed that he was leaving the house. Kid quickly dismissed the idea of ghosts and spirits. He wasn't going to deal with that fucking shit. He wasn't a very superstitious person to begin with anyway. Kid cast a glance back at his house, and thought he saw someone standing in the window to the right of the front door. Kidd did a double take, but when he looked back, there was nothing there. Kid spat a curse and turned away. The red head immediately laid the blame on Law for what he'd just thought he'd seen. The skinny son of a bitch had been ignoring him for so long that Kid was starting to imagine seeing things that weren't actually there.

Kid caught up with Law a few moments later, before he slowed to a leisurely pace, and followed along after the dark haired doctor. Kid was interested in what Law was going to do with all of the dangerous toys he had brought with him. Kid was feeling a little left out, and offended, that his lover hadn't offered for him to join him.

-x-

Back inside the house, in the cellar-basement, the sound of footsteps pacing back and forth, while still faint, increased in frequency. The scraping and scratching noise from behind the boiler increased in its intensity as well, and went on for hours without anyone noticing it.

And as suddenly as it had started, it ended, almost as if it had never been there. A feeling of sadness, disappointment, and complete and utter frustration seemed to hang in the air during the cacophony of sound. But as soon as the noises had stopped, so had the melancholic and frustrated air vanished, leaving behind the stale, dusty atmosphere of the cellar-basement.


	9. Face to Face

Law had only been gone from the house with his ghostly tag along for a short time when Ace was woken up by a sudden thumping sound. Since the older teen was half asleep at the time, he wasn't as concerned about whether or not it was an intruder. Or that it could be some kind of paranormal phenomena. Eyes glanced at the clock. One. Ace was ready to go back to sleep, only minimally annoyed that Law was still up and making noise. It wouldn't have bothered Ace at all had he actually _wanted_ to stay awake into the early morning hours. Ace's eyes slipped close as he tried to fall back asleep.

The noises continued, however, and Ace rolled over in his bed with a sigh when it didn't stop. He heard footsteps wandering up and down the stairs, and had been hearing it for the past half hour or so. He just couldn't get back to sleep for some reason because of all of the pacing. It had to be Law, so why wasn't the doctor keeping it down? Ace kept quiet when he felt like a little late night wandering, mainly because he didn't want anyone to know he was up. He liked to go out on early morning strolls on occasion, while sometimes setting something on fire when he noticed someone acting suspiciously. Ace was still waiting for Garp to call him on his most recent fiery escapade involving a burglar, a trash can, and a pogo stick.

Just as Ace was about to get out of bed to confront Law about all of his wandering around, the footsteps halted abruptly. Ace shifted when heard the bedroom door creak open, and craned his head over to frown at the half open door.

There was no one there.

Ace glanced over to check on Luffy, and saw that his brother was fast asleep and snoring. Ace reluctantly got up out of bed and walked over to the door, and peered out. He glanced left, and then right, before passing a look over the staircase.

Nothing.

Ace turned his head to the right again, and could see that Law's bedroom door was closed. Ace sleepily shut the door and went over to his bed to flop back down onto it, not bothering with the covers this time. Ace soon drifted back to sleep, attributing the door opening to it being warped, and the footsteps as the house settling on its foundation. Law was more than likely asleep since his door was closed.

The room the two teens were sleeping in began to grow a little cooler, and something suddenly tugged at the pocket which Ace had slipped the ring into. A soft noise sounded, almost like a sigh, before the cold retreated. The bedroom door opened a crack, and a shadowy figure could soon be seen heading down the staircase. Quiet, echoing footsteps accompanied its movement, though the shadow faded from view as soon as it reached the door that led to the basement.

And the house was silent again, as if nothing had happened.

-x-

Law reached the line of houses that were in varying states of disrepair, and knew that he was close to his destination. Law paused on the street corner, feigning interest in a bus line schedule as he eyed the warehouse on the other side of the street, diagonal to where he was standing. Law was waiting to hear sirens, which would indicate that the diversion had been started. Law figured that he would only have to wait a few minutes. He dealt with the cold of the night by shivering every once and awhile. It seemed to be a little cooler than the night before.

Sirens began to blare in the distance, and Law took that as his signal to start. The dark haired man readied himself, and carefully stole across the street to the warehouse, which had the address that Doflamingo had given him over the phone. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Law entered the building cautiously, careful to keep as silent as possible. According to Doflamingo, Bellamy had been expecting to be given some money and a position in Doflamingo's so-called company, in return for not ratting out anyone else that Bellamy knew of who worked in Doflamingo's 'family'. Whether or not they did illegal jobs. That the man wasn't worried about being exposed himself made Law wonder if he actually thought he was being discreet.

Law eyed the main area of the warehouse quietly, eyes darting back and forth across crates that were scattered here and there. There were only a few lights that lit the building, and Law headed toward them, presuming that that was where Bellamy had chosen to meet. He was unsurprised that he was correct, as he spotted the other man standing there and waiting, and a little impatiently at that. Things didn't seem to be going the way Law had believed they would, because as soon as Bellamy caught sight of him, he laughed.

"Well well well, look who's here. Doflamingo's little pet doctor. Or should I say you're a smuggler or a murderer?" Bellamy laughed again, "What the hell is he doing sending you out here for?"

Law was thinking fast in the face of this unexpected start to the conversation. This wasn't at all going the way he had planned. If Bellamy figured out what he was really there for, Law was going to be in for one nasty fight. Unfortunately for him, Bellamy had already made a decision, and it was one that gave Law no time to think.

"Doesn't matter why it was you, but..." Bellamy gave a nasty snigger, before he suddenly lunged at Law, "...I think it works out just fine. I was planning on taking down whoever Doflamingo sent. Maybe that would get him to let me work for him more often. Do the jobs that pay better. Especially if I'm better then someone he already favors!"

Law quickly sidestepped and backed out of Bellamy's range to avoid being grabbed in the other man's crushing grip. Law felt, in that moment, that Doflamingo should have sent someone else. While Law could do just fine in a fight, that was only true when it was a brief one. The dark haired doctor didn't have the strength to overpower an opponent like this, unlike some other people he knew of. Law was at his best when he was able to launch an attack of surprise, and move swiftly before his opponent could react.

Law circled Bellamy carefully, looking for an opening that he could use to his advantage. Law inwardly cursed Doflamingo for thinking that he could handle this all on his own, instead of requesting that he do a smuggling operation. Those the dark haired doctor was much better at. When he had had to do assassination hits in the past, he had been assisting the another person, after they had immobilized their target.

The dark haired surgeon tripped in a crack in the concrete ground, and his balance was thrown off, leaving himself wide open for an attack. He knew that Bellamy would take advantage of it, so he braced himself for the other man to crash into him. Law was knocked against some of the crates in the semi dark corner of the warehouse, and was forced down to the ground. Law immediately thrashed around in a desperate attempt to prevent the more muscular man from getting a hand wrapped around his throat. Law slipped a hand into his jacket pocket quickly, and rammed the object he took out into Bellamy.

Law didn't see where he'd stuck the other man with the needle, but knew he had gotten it in when the other man snarled furiously. Law bit back a choked cry when Bellamy seized the arm and slammed it to the ground to prevent him from doing something like that again. Law acted before Bellamy could do something about his other arm, and brought out a stun gun, which he jammed against the other's abdomen roughly, and shocked him. The shock seemed to have done some good, but Bellamy was too focused to let something like it alter his course of action.

Law found, after a few brief seconds, that he was unable to prevent Bellamy from wrapping his free hand around his throat. Law lashed out with one leg as he gasped for breath, but his efforts didn't amount to much as he continued to be slowly choked. Just before Law felt he would pass out from the lack of oxygen, he felt the pressure vanish abruptly from his throat as Bellamy let out a scream of pain. But even with the pressure now gone, Law found that he couldn't quite get his breath back yet.

As he faded in and out on the border of unconsciousness, Law thought that he heard a voice calling out to him. Angry, yet at the same time insistent. Demanding, but with an underlying tone of fear. A cold settled around him. Then Law was down and out.

-x-

Kid wasn't prone to fear or panic, but as soon as he'd seen the other man go after Law, he'd felt them. Fear that the doctor was going to be harmed, and then panic that he wouldn't be able to get to him in time to prevent that. Irrational anger took root, and it soon drowned out any other emotion that he may have had as Kid rapidly approached the laughing lunatic who was now strangling Law. And obviously not intending to let him ever breathe again. While Kid liked seeing Law blue in the face sometimes, he'd never done it with the intent to kill the other man.

Kid promptly attacked the man pinning his dark haired lover down without a second's thought. The terrified sounds that came from the man suddenly being pulled away from Law did nothing to satisfy the red head. Not yet, anyway. Kid's hands closed around the bastard's neck and squeezed. He wasn't going to allow anyone to take Law away from him. He would kill anyone who harmed Law other than himself. Kill anyone that tried to make him vanish from his life again. Kid had already been apart from Law for too long once before. The red head was never going to go through all the pain of being all alone ever again.

Kid dropped Bellamy, who had stopped breathing moments before. Sneering at the still body, Kidd moved away from it and over to where Law was gasping in air. Kid kneeled down and lifted Law up, holding him in his arms more carefully than he normally would, and checked him over. The red head wanted to make sure that the other son of the bitch lying on the ground nearby hadn't permanently injured him.

Kid could see that Law was breathing a little more rapidly than was normal, but otherwise Bellamy choking him didn't appear to have done anything that wouldn't heal in the next day or so. Kid's shoulders sagged with relief as he went from kneeling to sitting. Kid would never have let Law see him worry about him like this, but the red head couldn't help but sometimes think that his lover enjoyed trying to scare him to death.

Kid set Law down on the ground carefully, before he settled down next to him. Kid ran a hand though Law's hair lightly and breathed out a sigh. He was going to get Law back for making him worry like that. He'd never seen the dark haired doctor attacked before, because Law had only come to Kid's house to see him, or, on the rare occasion, an inn, when Kid was away from the house on business.

The red head wasn't the only one with an occupation, but while Law's was legit, Kid's wasn't. He hadn't been back in some time, so it wouldn't surprise him at all if his cut of the money was being taken from him the longer he was gone. Kid wrapped his right arm around Law's waist and pulled him a little closer. He didn't care about the money. He could always find ways of getting it if he really needed it.

Right now, Kid just wanted Law to wake up, so he could get angry at him for almost making him lose him.

-x-

Law opened his eyes, his mind slowly coming back on line. He held still for several moments, as if he expected Bellamy to come and attack him again.

Nothing of the sort happened.

Law sat up stiffly, and looked around warily. He was still in the warehouse, from the looks of it, but Bellamy was nowhere in sight. Damn. He'd gotten away. Doflamingo wasn't going to be happy about that.

"About damn time."

Law started, and he glanced to the side quickly to where the voice had sounded from. Law froze in place at the sight of the red headed ghost leaning casually against a crate, watching him with an intense gaze. Law tried to make sense of what he was seeing. He thought that the ghost was invisible to him expect when he looked in a mirror or other reflective surface.

But the ghost didn't look see through right now, and the scarred male was wearing a very displeased look, even if he also seemed to be glad to see that Law was moving around. Though it was hard to tell if it was genuine concern, since the red head had started to scowl.

Kid pushed away from the crate and approached Law, impatient as well as offended that the doctor was looking at him as if he'd never seen him before. It really got Kid mad when Law back pedaled away from him by skittering backwards across the floor, not quite able to get himself to his feet. Kid followed after him, content to let his lover act like a fool until he had Law trapped up against another crate.

Law's eyes quickly darted around the immediate area, looking for an escape route. With the red headed male prowling toward him with a glint in his eyes that Law didn't like, the doctor felt he just needed to run. He could worry about where he was going later, provided it got him away from this ghost. Just as Law made the decision to throw himself away from the crate and into a run, the red head slammed his hands against the crate on either side of Law's head. The surgeon drew his knees up close to his body, and instead of feeling afraid by the action, he started to get angry.

Kid ignored the look that Law was throwing him. Keeping his arms in place to keep Law from bolting away, Kid slowly lowered himself until he was resting on his knees. Kid leaned in, and made eye contact with Law, who in turn pressed his back up against the crate further. Kid scowled at him in displeasure, "You can stop acting like a fucking dumbass any time now, Trafalgar."

Law had no idea what the red head was talking about, but the use of his name made Law wonder if the other man thought he knew him.

Kid leaned in closer, but was further displeased when Law moved away slightly. Kid saw that the doctor was now openly glaring at him, as if daring him to try and get any closer. Kid grinned, not noticing the almost invisible flinch when he invaded Law's space some more, and breathed against his neck, "I hate that you've been ignoring me all the time." Kid rested his chin on Law's shoulder as his hands moved so that they were pressed on the crate on either side of Law's shoulders, further boxing his lover in to keep him from running. Kid had had enough of the bullshit, and was ready for the doctor to apologize and to stop acting like he wasn't some stranger. Not that Law was prone to apologizing in the first place.

Law was motionless for a moment as his mind processed the red heads' words, all the while trying very hard to ignore the other's breath against his neck. It suddenly made sense to Law why this ghost, or whatever he was, had been only fixated on him in the house. Law obviously reminded the red head of someone he knew, but Law didn't like the implications of that. Law knew he had to do something to get out of this when the red head, who was almost pressed up against him by now, spoke again.

"I think I'm gonna have to punish you for making me wait for so long. For pretending that you don't know who I am."


	10. Denial

Law held perfectly still, acutely aware of the arms that were tense on either side of his head, just above his shoulders. The doctor's mind was still trying to make sense of what he was seeing, but he wasn't going to remain quiet anymore.

He didn't like the way this ghost was acting toward him.

Law lifted his head so that he could look the other directly in the eyes, and the doctor wore an irritated glare as he spoke.  "I don't know who the hell you are. Leave me alone already. I'm not who…" Law's words were cut off as the red head's right hand suddenly closed around his throat. Law felt the hand squeeze lightly, making it clear that the other man could easily tighten it at any time. Law glared at the red head, not appreciating being treated in this manner.

Kid narrowed his eyes in return, matching the doctor's glare with one of his own. He kept a firm grip on Law's throat, his metal left hand still on the crate next to Law's shoulder. He'd been temporarily rendered speechless at the doctor's words, before his temper got the better of him, and Kid growled in a low tone, "That's getting real old, Trafalgar. I know you like messing with me, but this is sick, even for you." Kid squeezed his hand around the dark haired man's throat a little further when the surgeon tried to inch away. Kid ducked his head down, so that he was level with his lover's face, "And my name isn't 'hey you' or 'stop that'. It's Eustass Kid." The red head tightened his grip further, and it made the doctor's eyes slip shut as he struggled to breathe from his restricted airway. Kid leaned in even closer, so that he could breathe against the crook of Law's neck, alongside where his hand was still choking him. The red head could feel Law tremble a little, whether from the lack of oxygen reaching his brain, or from the red head being closer to him. "If you wanna still be ignorant and play around, then fine." Kid traced the side of Law's neck with his lips, moving his right hand slightly, "But I'm starting to get a bit bored of it, so you better be prepared for the consequences."

Law reached up with his hands to seize the red head's hand, trying and failing to get the other man, Kid, to let go of his throat. Law twitched, momentarily distracted when Kid bit down hard on his shoulder. Law made a thin, disgruntled sound as Kid growled something unintelligible in return against his shoulder, and the doctor again tried to force Kid's hand away from his throat. Law couldn't breathe properly, and he had already had Bellamy try to choke him out earlier. He didn't need this crazy red headed ghost to try to do something similar. Law gasped as Kid abruptly released his shoulder from the harsh bite, and sent Law reeling when he let go of his throat suddenly.

While the doctor struggled to regain his breath, Kid's hands dropped to Law's belt, and began to unbuckle it. The red head slapped Law's hand away when his lover tried to stop him. Kid locked eyes with Law, his expression unamsued, "Knock it off, Trafalgar, or I'm gonna have to tie you up." Kid all but ripped Law's pants down once he got the belt undone, and tugged his boxers off and out of the way. Kid held the dark haired man's hips down when Law tried to back away. Just as Kid leaned forward, he suddenly came to a complete halt when Law's hands shot out and pressed up against his bare chest. Kid was momentarily taken aback, mainly due to the fact that Law was actually touching him, and not trying to push him away.

Law had no idea why Kid had stopped moving closer to him, but from the angle the doctor was leaning, it didn't give him enough leverage to push the red head away from him completely. The most Law could manage was to brace his hands against the other man's chest. For the moment it was keeping Kid from getting any closer, and Law needed to try and get his message across. He was already uncomfortable enough as it was being half naked and leaned over by someone who outweighed and outmuscled him. Law winced when Kid seemed to have made some internal decision, as the red head had just squeezed his hips more tightly than was really necessary.

"I'm serious about tying you up if you don't stop it already, you skinny son of a bitch."

That was it. Law hated the arrogance and the gall of the red head to demand that he do something. Law despised someone telling him what to do in the first place, and the fact that this damn ghost was doing that made him angry. Law kept his hands pressed against the other man's chest as he snarled back at Kid, done with this bastard harassing him and touching him, "I really don't know who the hell you are! You can tell me your name, but it still doesn't ring any bells. I've never met you before in my life!" Law's eyes met widened amber ones as he finished hotly, "Whoever you think I am, you're wrong. So stop acting like you know me and leave me alone!" Law fell silent, and thought that the words may have gotten through to Kid, because the red headed male still looked shocked at what he'd just said.

Kid didn't know what to do. Law's words had been completely unexpected, and even though the red head figured that the doctor was still playing around with him, it hurt. Not something Kid was used to feeling, if ever. Not in the emotional sense, anyway. Kid was no stranger to being physically hurt, but this...this was different, and Kid didn't like how it felt. Not. At. All. Law was a sick son of a bitch. Kid locked eyes with the dark haired doctor, and decided that things had gone far enough. Kid's eyes flashed dangerously, and he gave Law no time to react as he seized the other man's arms roughly, and threw him flat on the ground. Kid refrained from digging a knee into Law's back to keep him down, and instead forced the doctor's arms behind his back, and secured them there with the belt he had pulled free moments before.

Kid was going to let Law know just how much he didn't appreciate what had just been said to him.

Kid felt the dark haired man immediately struggle at the action of his hands behind forced behind his back, and Kid roughly swatted him across his bare ass. The red head really wasn't in the mood for Law fucking around with him right now. Kid snorted in dark amusement when the doctor immediately stilled after the stinging strike. Kid turned Law more gently onto his back, and saw that at least his lover's body was being honest. Kid moved in close so that he could run his tongue across Law's throat. It made the doctor swallow, and Kid could feel the pulse leaping in time to his rapid heart beats. Kid ran a hand down along Law's side, drawing forth a shiver the lower he went. Instead of issuing a protest, Law merely let out a faint sound, like he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now.

Kid was satisfied for the time being as he moved his head up to Law's so that he could whisper in the other's ear, "That's better. Don't lie to me like that."

Law was beginning to think that there was something wrong with him. Wrong in the way that his body was being slowly turned on by all of the now light touches that Kid was doing to him. Law squeezed his eyes shut again. He wanted to be dreaming, he had to be dreaming, but Law couldn't do anything. Everything felt so real, and his body was obviously craving another's touch, and he was disturbed that he was allowing Kid, this ghost, to do whatever it felt like with him.

Law felt Kid's hand dip lower, and the doctor strained against the belt binding his hands behind his back. He couldn't stop Kid, but he was going to keep trying anyway, "Stop...doing that."

Kid almost rolled his eyes in exasperation when Law started to protest again, and in gasping breaths, at that. It really was getting old, and it was obvious that his lover was enjoying what he was doing. So Law should just shut up and enjoy it, instead of being an aggravating bastard. When the doctor continued to make complaints between gasps and moans, Kid decided he'd have to do something about it.

Kid slid his artificial left hand up to tilt Law's head to the side, which allowed him to lick and nip along the flesh, before he drowned Law's forthcoming words in a kiss. The doctor was really starting to get on his nerves with all of his denials.

Law's mind went momentarily blank when Kid drew him into a demanding kiss, and was horrified to find himself responding to it. Mainly due to the fact that he hated anyone trying to drag him along at their own pace. Law didn't think at the time that he was merely adding to Kid's delusion that he was somehow playing with him, when in reality Law was just fed up with the red head thinking that he was someone he wasn't.

Kid was ridiculously pleased at the small gesture, and the hesitation before the doctor tried to join in on the kiss. Kid would never have admitted aloud that it made him stupidly happy. Even if Law was currently trying to bite him to make him stop, because the action was telling him something he had thought all along. The fucking doctor really _was_ just messing with his mind. Kid broke the kiss, and smirked down at the dark haired man's dazed and confused expression, and then the immediate averting of his eyes, a faint trace of a blush visible across his cheeks.

Kid wanted to fuck Law then and there, but restrained himself. Punishment. He needed to punish Law a little first, for being such a jackass by ignoring and tormenting him. Besides, Kid almost never got to see the other man blush, and the red head found that he loved seeing it whenever the man's calm, usually faintly smirking expression would give way. Kid grinned lopsidedly at Law, before he moved slowly down, and shoved Law's legs apart, and knelt down between them. He saw that the doctor's mind had come back on line, and the expression he wore when he realized what Kid had planned made Kid determined to make him enjoy it. When Law started to try and move away, Kid merely rested his hands on the doctor's hips, and held him down as he leaned over.

Law's head fell back against the ground as he felt Kid's mouth close over the tip of his dick, and began to take him in bit by bit. Law's hips bucked a little at the red head's sudden action, and writhed the faintest amount as Kid's chuckle sent a jolt up his spine. Law couldn't even find the words to protest, and wasn't sure he would have been able to at that point in time, but...

-x-

Law gave a low gasp as he jerked awake from the vivid dream. His breath came in uneven and rapid pants, as if he'd still been pinned to the ground by Kid. Law shakily sat upright, and cautiously let his eyes rove around the immediate area, as if he had expected Kid to be right there and ready to pounce on him again. When it was clear that the red head was nowhere in view, Law strove to calm himself as he looked the area over once more. He appeared to still be in the warehouse, like before, when he had 'woken' up and seen Kid. Only the dark haired doctor's clothes were all still on, and Bellamy was lying motionless on the ground nearby, and very obviously dead.

Law took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Slightly calmer than before, Law rose slowly, and cautiously moved toward the dead man on the ground when he saw no other movement around him. The doctor stooped to check Bellamy over, careful not to touch him, since he hadn't remembered to bring any gloves with him. Law frowned a little as he decided that the stun gun would not have been able to kill Bellamy; it had only startled the other man. Law considered the injection he'd given Bellamy during their brief tussle, but Law didn't think that it would have worked so quickly, or had a high enough dosage to actually have been lethal.

Law needed to think of something to tell Doflamingo, when Law caught sight of what looked like imprints of hands on the dead man's neck, and noted that while one hand had dug in and left nail marks, the other hadn't.

A chill went up Law's spine, and he quickly left the warehouse, leaving the dead Bellamy behind for Doflamingo to have someone take care of it. If he could remember to give the man a call when he got back to the house. As Law walked down the sidewalk, he pulled his collar up slightly to ward off the brisk night air. Even though the dark haired doctor knew he was alone at the moment, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched the entire way back to the house. Law wondered if that red head, Eustass Kid, the ghost, was following him right now. But that couldn't be. Law thought, from his limited knowledge of what the dead supposedly could do if they lingered around after death, was that they were restricted to the place they died in. That they couldn't follow a living person around outside of that zone.

Law began to wonder if he had just imagined the red head cornering him in the warehouse like that. Just as Law was about to reassure himself that it had been a dream, and an unnerving one that obviously meant he needed to go out more often, a faint, echoing voice spoke. It chilled Law down to the bone when he recognized it as Kid's voice. It sounded close by, as if the red head were following along after him on the sidewalk. Or even right beside him...

' _You can run all you want, but I know you'll always come back to me, Trafalgar...'_

Law broke into a run, and even if it seemed ridiculous, he snapped irritably through clenched teeth, "Leave me the hell alone!" While Law shouldn't have lost his composure over a ghost, the dark haired surgeon couldn't stand the idea of this thing following him around and harassing him not only in the house, but outside of it as well. Even his dreams weren't a safe. Wasn't there anywhere he could go to make the ghost leave him alone?

-x-

Kid followed along after his lover at a leisurely place, and wondered why in the hell Law was being so damn stubborn. If Kid hadn't had issues with expressing some of his emotions, the red head would have felt that his feelings had been hurt. And had been hurt numerous times over since Law had finally come back to him.

Kid's expression darkened as he entered his house, and watched as Law secluded himself in the master bedroom. The red head was going to have to have to get a little rougher. Kid wasn't going to let Law continue to insult him like this for much longer. But it seemed he would have to back off for a short time, and pick the right time to try again.

The red head _would_ get through to Law one way or another, and he didn't care how much violence he would have to resort to get to that point.

But Kid still loved the doctor, in his own twisted way. He'd have never admitted it out loud, however. The doctor was the more romantic one, spouting off nauseating lines with infuriating ease that easily cut through whatever tough exterior Kid may have tried to put up. Kid leaned against the wall next to the short door that led to the cellar, and frowned at the thought. It had pissed him off at first that the dark haired man had such an effect on him, but it was what eventually got Kid to try to get into a relationship with the sly son of a bitch in the first place.

Kid thought he felt a hand slide up his right arm in a feather light touch, but knew that it was just his imagination. Kid headed for the stairs, a scowl passing across his features. He hated that Law made him feel emotions that he still wasn't quite comfortable admitting that he actually had. Kid paused outside of the closed master bedroom door, and his scowl deepened. He was going to have to find a way to let Law know that he didn't appreciate the damn mind games.

Kid slipped into the bedroom, and settled in the corner on a chair to watch Law sleep. While the red head wanted to continue where he left off, he couldn't help but admire Law's persistence. Kid didn't think he could pretend to not know the doctor without eventually caving in. But Kid liked it, sometimes, when Law played hard to get.

If the dark haired doctor didn't act the way he did in the first place, Kid would have gotten bored with him a long time ago.


	11. Confusion

The night time visits began to become more frequent after the encounter Law had had with Kid in the warehouse. After a month and a half, it was beginning to get to the point that the only sleep Law was able to get was during the daytime. Even though Kid seemed to be able to manifest whenever he wished, it seemed he preferred to not do so during daylight hours. The red head didn't seem to be interested in doing anything during those times other than cause an occasional cold spot.

Kid's actions, especially during the night time, had begun to affect Law's work schedule. The doctor was still able to make it to the hospital on time, and got by on a low amount of sleep through massive amounts of caffeine that helped to keep him awake. He knew it wasn't good for a doctor, and a surgeon, at that, to be hopped up on caffeine, but Law made sure he had enough people in the room when he had a surgery to preform to assist him. So far, over the past month, no one had made any comment over Law's caffeine regime to remain awake. Some of the nurses had, however, expressed concern over the surgeon taking cat naps in any empty room he could find when he wasn't actively working.

Law was determined to make things work for the best, and in any way he could. Even if that meant naps in weird places. Law wasn't about to lose his job over some jilted ghost that seemed to think he was its lover or something twisted like that. It certainly seemed to be the case since Kid always kept trying to touch him. And continue to touch him despite Law's vehement protests whenever the red head happened to make a move on him.

That the ghost could even touch him in the first place was what drove Law up the wall. The surgeon felt he could handle the occasional and rather personal touching, until Kid had started to invade even his dreams at a more frequent basis.

That was when things began to get worse. The touches and whispers grew more frequent after the warehouse dream, and the dreams after that grew into longer and very realistic dreams that forced Law to see and hear Kid more clearly.

It made Law's job harder because when that had begun to happen, the doctor started to doze off at the hospital more often. It was only Monet's timely assistance that helped Law avoid being caught in the act of snoring propped up on either a table, or in some cases, a sink in the men's bathroom. Something had to be done, and just when Law didn't know how much more he could take, Kid finally backed off again, like he had before.

Law spent a glorious week ghost free, and was glad of it, because he had sorely needed the uninterrupted sleep. The bags under his eyes had deepened to a degree that he didn't see normally. Sure they were there most of the time, since he was deprived of sleep most of the time during work anyway, what with its irregular hours. Law was also glad of the break he was getting from the red headed ghost, because Law had noticed that even Ace and Luffy had started to wonder if there was something wrong with him. In that Ace had been joking around that a ghost, if they did actually exist, wouldn't be interested in hanging around because Law would bore it into a second death. Luffy had merely bombarded Law with questions of whether ghosts had to use the bathroom in the afterlife. Law had stuck to merely not being able to fall asleep in his responses, and not because of something paranormal harassing him.

By day six of no ghostly activity, Law himself was starting to wonder if he were losing it from the lack of sleep he had been getting. Had he actually imagined Kid after all? Was sleep deprivation making him imagine things, even so far as his dreams? Law tried to chalk it up to imagination, but there was no way to explain away all of the times he could remember Kid actually touching him. It seemed too vivid to have all been in his imagination.

-x-

The house seemed strangely empty for that week, but it was all just a ruse to catch the dark haired doctor off guard.

Kid was merely biding his time, as he watched and waited for the right moment to try and get Law to admit that he knew him. And the doctor all alone in the hospital one night seemed the perfect opportunity. One that Kid would gladly take.

He was sick and tired of his lover running away from him.

-x-

Law left for work early on the beginning of the eighth day free of any and all paranormal activity. But even as the surgeon went through his day worry free, he found that the closer evening drew, signaling the end of his shift, the more hesitant Law felt about returning to the house. Even though nothing had happened of note for the past week. Law hoped that it meant that Kid had finally gotten the message about the doctor not being who the red head thought he was.

Law looked down at a document he had in a file, and frowned at his own thoughts. It almost seemed to Law that getting rid of his unseen follower had been too easy. Law felt that way mainly because he hadn't liked that the last words he'd heard from the red head the night of the warehouse incident. That he, Law, would always come back to the red head. The dark haired doctor had figured that Kid was delusional, but he hadn't realized just how strongly the red head believed that he was someone else. Obsessions like that made Law think that he hadn't seen the last of Kid.

"Doctor Law?"

The dark haired surgeon shook away the unpleasant thought as he turned to face who had spoken to him. Law's eyes swept over the man in question, and after noting his attire, deduced that the other was an intern in his section of the hospital. If Law recalled correctly, the intern's name was Shachi. Law spotted a small stack of folders the other man held, as well as the other's uncertain expression. "Yes?" Law questioned, forgetting his own troubles for the moment.

"I was…wondering if you were free for a half hour. I need to enter these files and take care of some things down in the morgue, but there's no one down there now and…" Shachi broke off with a nervous laugh, "If you're busy, that's fine, its just that the morgue in this hospital is a bit creepier than the one I've been to in another hospital…"

Law smiled a little. He knew what Shachi was talking about. Law remembered that he had also hated going down to the morgue on his own when he had interned here at this particular hospital, "Yes, I can. I just need to finish entering in something for a patient. I'll meet you at the elevator. I won' be long."

"Thanks, Doctor." The relief in Shachi's voice was evident as he walked off to the elevator to wait.

Law went into the file room to take care of the document he held, and after he had put it in a specific file, Law headed down the empty hall to the elevator. The dark haired man found Shachi waiting there nervously, shifting from foot to foot. "Let's go." Law commented as he came closer to where Shachi was standing.

-x-

Law hadn't realized just how much information Shachi had had to enter, and put the thought in his mind that he would talk to someone the next day. It was obvious that another person was skimping on their work and pushing if off onto the intern. Law glanced at the clock as he stretched in front of the computer. He and Shachi were in a little office in the morgue, and the half hour of work that the intern had guessed he'd had had been passed by another hours' worth of time.

The dark haired doctor glanced out of the corner of his eyes, and noticed that Shachi was starting to look more and more nervous. Whether that was from being in the morgue, or by having been wrong about the time and dragging a doctor in to help him out, Law wasn't sure.

"Sorry Doctor Law. I hadn't realized there was so much information to enter." The intern avoided eye contact as he typed data into the computer before him.

Law shook his head a little, before he turned back to the computer, "You can go home now, Shachi. There's not much left to take care of."

Shachi sounded immensely relieved, "Thanks."

Law was highly amused with the speed with which Shachi had logged off the computer. And the way the intern edged out of the morgue while looking like he was keeping an eye out for dead bodies of patients that may rise and go after him. Law's lips quirked into a wry smile. Someone must have been watching too many horror movies involving zombies.

Fifteen minutes later, and Law was finally at the last of the notes to be entered into the database. The dark haired man yawned, and leaned back in the chair as he sighed. Law closed his eyes briefly, telling himself that he would be able to go home and get some sleep as soon as he finished up here. He could sleep in the next morning, as he wasn't scheduled to be back in until later in the afternoon. Unless there was something he was needed for urgently.  Law opened his eyes again as he resisted the urge to take a brief nap. He wasn't the only one who had a weird feeling of being all alone in a morgue.

Law was about to enter the last of the information into the computer, when he caught sight of something red reflecting off of the computer screen. No.  It couldn't be. The dark haired surgeon's stomach dropped as the red in the computer screen moved.

Damn.

Not again.

Despite the doctor's weariness, he reacted instantly as the red blur moved closer, and lunged out of the chair quickly enough to avoid being grabbed by Kid. Keeping the chair between himself and Kid, Law quickly searched for escape routes, even as the red head loomed closer. There were two doors to the office, so Law took the nearest one, and narrowly avoided being grabbed by the arm by a now scowling Kid.

"Going somewhere, Trafalgar?"

Law darted out of the morgue through the door, trying to put as much distance between himself and Kid, whom he could hear was following him with an ominous chuckle. Law didn't dare look back as he dashed down the short hall. The dark haired doctor was under the impression that he was dreaming, and vividly, because of Kid, who was steadily catching up with him from the closeness of the footsteps echoing behind him.

Ghosts didn't make footsteps, as far as the surgeon was concerned.

Law didn't know if he could get to the elevator and in it before Kid caught up with him, and since he had no desire to be trapped in an elevator with the red head, instead went for the stairwell.

Law was up one level when he heard Kid barge into the stairwell, and start chasing him up the stairs. It was almost worse that the red head said nothing.  Law caught sight of Kidd grinning eerily at him when he chanced a look, and abruptly turned and ran up the stairs to put some distance between himself and the red head. The dark haired man heard Kid let out a laugh, and it almost seemed as if the red head was enjoying the chase. Law certainly wasn't, because he didn't want to think what Kid had planned for him when he finally caught up with him. _If_ the red head caught up with him, as the doctor had just put on a burst of speed, and wrenched open a door. Law slammed it shut behind him, and looked around. There were three halls to choose from and Law didn't particularly care which one as long as it got him further away from Kid.

Law didn't hear the red head follow along after him once the doctor had gone down a few turns through a couple of halls. Law skidded to a complete stop when he realized he had come to a dead end. The dark haired man cursed internally. He'd forgotten that the last hall he'd went down led to this dead end. Law quickly spun on his heel and headed back, trying to think about the area of the hospital he was in. He came to the spilt in the hallway and peered around anxiously. His shoulders relaxed minimally as he caught no sight of Kid. Moving a little more quickly, Law hurried down the hall, when a door suddenly slammed opened to his left and movement came from within the room.

Law wasn't fast enough to escape Kid's grasp, but this time around he had a means to protect himself. Law used the hand not being held in a crushing grip to draw out a scalpel from his pocket. "Let go of me!" Law snarled as he turned and lurched forward to stab Kidd in the nearest shoulder. He did so without any hesitation, as the surgeon was fed up with the red head and his damn delusions. It needed to end sooner rather than later. The dark haired man knew that he was in another dream, so it didn't matter that he attacked the red head. He was dead anyway, so Law doubted that it would actually harm him. Law just hoped that if he fought back that the red head would rethink bothering him any further. Again, Kid surprised him when the metal left hand snapped up and seized the hand Law had just used to drive the scalpel into his right shoulder.

Law glanced up at Kid and instead of seeing the anger or pain that he would have expected a normal person to have shown after just being stabbed, Kid was giving him a dark look. As if the red head were trying very hard to figure something out. As Kid cast a silent look at the scalpel embedded in his right shoulder that had drawn blood, Law discreetly tried to free his hand to draw the scalpel out for another attack. And that was when Kid startled him by letting out an almost carefree laugh, and his artificial left hand squeezed Law's wrist, preventing the doctor from pulling out the scalpel.

Kid twisted Law's hand away from the scalpel with ease, and drew the hand up to nip along the fingers that no longer wore any gloves from earlier in the day.

As Law tensed at the light ministrations that Kid was lying along his fingers, the doctor was wondering if he should have left his gloves on. Instead of taking them off to type things into the database. Law's fingers twitched within Kid's grasp as the red head's tongue darted out along them with a sly chuckle, and heard the red head murmured against the surgeon's hand with a smirk.

"These tattoos are new. What doctor has death written on his hands? You tryin' to scare your patients, Trafalgar?" Kid clearly enjoyed Law subtly squirming from his touch, and obviously wanted more. As the red head smirked at the surgeon still trying to tug his hands away, Kid used his grip on either of Law's wrists to maneuver the doctor up against the nearest wall. Kid roughly pinned him there, next to the open door, and the red head briefly wondered why it hadn't occurred to Law that he had waited inside a room for him to pass by. Kid kept tight hold of Law as he ignored the scalpel embedded in his shoulder for the time being in favor of his dark haired lover. Kid's jaw was set against the small amount of pain he felt from the wound as he growled at Law, "I don't know what the hell's going through that mind of yours, Trafalgar, but if you wanna play, you should have just said so earlier."

Law inwardly swore as Kid's amber gaze settled on him with a burning intensity. Instead of driving the red head off, he'd apparently only egged him on. And with the way that Kid's eyes bored into his, Law didn't think he was going to be waking up any time soon.


	12. Delusional

Kid could feel Law tense beneath his hands, and the red head decided that the first thing he needed to take care of was to prevent Law from fleeing. Without much of an effort, Kid maneuvered Law away from the wall, and sent the dark haired doctor stumbling backward into the open room with a sudden shove. Kid shut the door and locked it, not concerned about the other man finding an escape route. There wasn't a window anyway, and the only way to get out was through the door he had just closed. Kid moved toward Law, and before the other could regain his balance, tackled him and with a swift motion, pinned the doctor face down to the ground.

"Hold the fuck still already. I'm getting tired of this Trafalgar." Kid snapped irritably as he rested against Law's back lightly. The red head reached out and forced the dark haired doctor's arms over his head, and on to the floor in front of him. Using his left hand to keep Law's arms in place, Kid drew out a roll of duct tape, "This shit is weird, but I tested it out earlier. I think it'll be strong enough to keep you in place if I use enough of it. I couldn't find any handcuffs or anything." Kid ripped off some of the sticky gray tape, and bound Law's wrists together. He repeated the gesture a few more times, before he was satisfied that Law couldn't free his hands. Kid slid his weight off of the other man, and was unsurprised to find Law skitter away from him. Both of them knew it was a useless gesture, but it didn't stop the doctor from trying anyway.

Kid snorted at the pathetic sight, and rose to follow after Law, to a corner where the doctor had backed himself in to. Kid stooped next to him, blocked the kick aimed his way with his left hand, before he used the same hand to fling Law unceremoniously up and over his shoulder. The metal appendage dug into Law's nearest thigh warningly when it felt like Law was going to try and kick him again. Kid wandered back across the room, "I'm sick of you acting like you don't want me to touch you." Kid flopped Law onto his back on a gurney that was folded down on the ground in the corner of the room, "I guess I'll just have to remind you how much you like it." Kid slapped his left hand down on Law's bound wrists when the doctor tried to rise. Keeping the limbs pinned over Law's head, Kid used the duct tape to bind them to the surface the dark haired man was now lying on.

Law immediately tried to force his arms back up, but Kid's artificial hand's grip was firm, and the duct tape that was being laid down soon made it impossible to move even his forearms. Law felt Kid's hands leave his arms, and tested the duct tape that the red head had used to secure his arms to the metal gurney. Law shifted uncomfortably when he realized he couldn't free himself. That meant that he couldn't do anything to stop the red head now, other than perhaps to try to dissuade him. But Law found himself taking issue with the fact that Kid had decided to use the gurney as a makeshift bed. Even though that was something that should have been very far from his mind, and the doctor should have been vehemently protesting what was currently happening. Law tilted his head up to glare at Kid, "You do realize that gurneys aren't meant to be used in this manner?"

Kid grinned as he laughed at that, "I don't care if it breaks if that's what you mean." If it did, then the hospital would be short one gurney. No great loss, in the red head's opinion. He knew that his lover had strange kinks, and one of them was to be fucked in weird places, including different areas in the hospital. Though screwing in the morgue that one time had been a bit odd, even for Kid. But Law had enjoyed it, and at this very moment, the red head didn't care whether or not the metal surface the doctor was lying on was comfortable.

Law was about to tell Kid that if he thought that the gurney was potentially going break with whatever he had in mind, to get the hell away from him. Or to stay away from him in the first place. But Law only managed to open his mouth partway as Kid clambered onto the gurney after him and drowned out his protests with a kiss.

Kid made the kiss brief, before he pulled away and rested his head against the crook of Law's neck, and shifted slightly. The gurney creaked a little, but held, and that was good enough for Kid to continue on. There wasn't very far to fall if they did happen to break it anyway. A couple of inches at the most. Kid's tongue slipped out to lick Law's throat, before he laid a light kiss there and felt the other's pulse against his lips. Kid whispered breathlessly, "Have you been ignoring me because of your new boyfriend?"

Law grit his teeth as Kid bit down on the nearest bit of skin on the side of his neck, and started to leave a mark there. Law's arms twitched against the duct tape as he managed a faint, displeased sound, "I don't have a boyfriend, you bastard. Get off of me!" It was bad enough that other people thought the same thing; he didn't need this ghost, or whatever the red head was, implying it as well.

"Don't lie to me." Kid snarled as he sat back on his knees, moving so that they were in between Law's. Kid ignored whatever other protest the dark haired doctor may have made as he reached over and started to unbutton the white doctor's coat, and then the shirt. Kid was a little disappointed that Law hadn't worn a sweater or something that he could have tugged off, or cut off. But buttons were fine. It worked out better this way. The red head took his time as he slowly began to reveal tanned skin, and when he ran out of buttons, Kid shoved the clothes aside to expose the skin even further.

Law shivered at the sudden exposure of his skin. The doctor's chest was rising and falling rapidly as his heart began to race at the thought that he had no way to protect himself now. That he couldn't prevent Kid from doing whatever he wanted with him. And it was disturbing to Law, because he was oddly turned on by the thought, though he would have rather it not been Kid. If Law had been in a relationship, he may have been open to light bondage, if he trusted the other person enough. Kid, however...

Kid ignored whatever discomfort the man below him may have been feeling as the red head let his eyes rove over the bare expanse of skin. Kid's lips twitched into an amused smirk at the sight of the tattoos. Those he remembered, unlike the ones on the back of Law's hands. Kid ran his hands along the surgeon's sides absently, and drew forth a shudder with the action. Kid peeked at Law's face, to see how the other man was reacting, but what the red head saw was not at all what he expected. He'd thought that Law was done pretending with him now that he had him trapped, and would own up to it finally, but...

But Law was staring back at him hesitantly, and almost appeared to be fearful of Kid. Law looked like he wanted nothing more than to vanish, and to get the hell away from the red head. And if that wasn't possible, attack, and then get the hell away while he still could. He certainly seemed to want to do something to make Kid back off.

For the first time since Kid had seen Law return to his house, the red head's mind was momentarily awash with doubt. Kid briefly wondered if the doctor had been telling the truth. That this Law, who looked so much like his lover, wasn't actually him. But that couldn't be. Kid didn't think he could stand for this man in the room with him to not be who he thought he was, because that would mean that his Law was truly gone. Kid banished the doubt from his mind. No. This Law was his lover. They even had the same tattoos, and Law had just been a sick bastard and gotten those hand tattoos from when he'd been gone for so long. After all, there couldn't be more than one of the dark haired man.

Kid looked down to study Law's face again, and found that he still didn't like the look that he was being given. Like he was some kind of monster for doing this to him. Kid hated that expression. He had killed people in the past for giving him such a look, even if he kind of proved their point before they'd died. Kid didn't give a fuck. Law was one of the first people he'd come across who didn't immediately run for their lives and screech things about demons and murderers. No, Law had stayed, and showed that he was just as much of a monster as Kid, if not more so, than the red head himself.

Kid wanted to punch or maybe even just slap Law for staring at him like that. The red head was far more used to a confident, laidback and sly as fuck Law who all but dared him to continue down the dangerous path that they had decided to live. Daring to push Kid to his limits until the red head had almost gone over the deep end several times.

Right now, in this moment, Kid decided that Law was still messing with his mind. Yes, that was the reason for the hesitance.  Law was still trying to drive him up the wall with make pretend.  So, Kid turned his gaze away from the other man's eyes, and turned a deaf ear to Law's protests, as he set about divesting the dark haired doctor of the rest of his clothes.

Kid settled back on his knees again to let his eyes wander over his lover's bare body, and found that it was just the same as he remembered it being. Kid leaned in close and spoke against Law's chest with a satisfied sigh, "You're fucking sexy as hell, as usual." Kid tipped forward further so that he could rest chest to chest with the other man, and drowned Law's response in a harsh and demanding kiss. Kid forced his tongue into the doctor's mouth and delved as deep as he could to keep the kiss going, both hands roaming over Law's body. Kid only released Law from the kiss when it was clear that the other man was struggling for breath.

While Law lay gasping for air, Kid reached up and wrenched the scalpel out of his own right shoulder, and turned it over between two fingers. The slight pain he'd felt before was all but gone by now, in the face of what he could now do.  Just thinking about it gave him the chills.  Kid wore a grin as he lowered the scalpel, and without warning, drove it into Law's side, which drew blood and a sharp cry from the other man. Kid rested his left hand on Law's sternum to prevent him from moving around too much as he dragged the scalpel along hard enough to draw blood horizontally across his abdomen. Kid repeated the motion across Law's waist, before the red head dropped the scalpel onto a nearby table. He could do more of that later if he wanted to. Kid leaned down to lap at the wound across Law's abdomen with his tongue, and that drew forth an interesting combination of a gasp intermingled with a moan from Law.

Kid turned his attention to the wound he'd made across Law's waist, and let his left hand rest more heavily against Law's sternum to keep him from bucking. Kid dragged a few of his right hands' fingers along the wound he'd made in Law's left side, making the doctor writhe, and the red head didn't bother to check if it was from pain or pleasure. Kid scraped his teeth lightly along the wound, chuckling when a thin whine issued from the action. Kid let his right hand dip lower along Law's bare body, until his hand closed around his lover's rather limp dick. Kid grinned a little as he moved his lips away from the wounds he'd created, and up to give Law another kiss, this one tasting of the metallic tang of blood. Kid squeezed his hand, and felt Law gasp against his lips, and took the opportunity to deepen the kiss as he explored the inside of the doctor's mouth with his tongue again. Kid didn't think he could ever get over the taste of his lover.

Kid pulled away and smirked at Law's dazed expression, and slid back down, his right hand still firmly wrapped around Law's cock. Kid's grin bordered on crazed as he spoke, his voice rough, "I love how damn hard you get when I cut you up this this." Kid lowered his head further, he himself turned on by the sight of a bloodied Law gasping and panting and squirming and acting like he didn't want what Kid was offering him.

Law choked back a moan and couldn't quite get out a protest when Kid's tongue licked him from base to tip. Law dropped his head back and clenched his bound wrists as he felt Kid begin to take him into his mouth bit by bit, as he had done back in the warehouse. Only Law wasn't waking up now, and the dark haired man was acutely aware of the warmth of the other's mouth sucking at him. Law bit his lip, determined not to make a sound. He didn't want Kid to think that he was enjoying this, because it would only keep adding to the red head's delusional belief that he was someone he wasn't. Law's fingernails dug into the palms of his hands, striving to keep himself silent as Kid worked on his more than neglected dick. Law couldn't even remember the last time anyone had given him a blowjob, but he was fairly certain he'd never been tied up like this and forced to take it.

There was no way to escape this torture, and Kid wasn't backing down, as he seemed intent on getting Law to respond. And it only took a few more moments before he got to that point, and Kid was pleased with the response. After all, Kid didn't normally suck off of Law. The dark haired doctor seemed to enjoy doing that to him more often, and a lot more roughly than what Kid was currently doing.

Law finally gave in, unable to hold back anymore as Kid, who had pulled back all of a sudden, before going back down on him with a swift motion. Law let out a faint moan, and that seemed to be what Kid had wanted to hear, as the red head hummed something in response. The vibration caused Law to bite back a choked groan, and that was when his body finally betrayed him even further by bucking his hips. Trying to get off on the feeling alone, and what Kid was doing with his tongue. At the same time, Law was feeling incredibly ashamed that he had allowed the red head to get to him like this. It was quite humiliating. Just as Law thought he was about to reach his limit, Kid chuckled again. Law let out a thin sound of protest at the red head's mouth retreated, and hated himself for even thinking that he had wanted Kid to finish what he had been doing.

Kid leaned up over Law's chest comfortably and kissed the side of his jaw as he murmured, "At least your body is honest with me." Kid licked his way down Law's throat, before he paused and added, with an almost regretful sigh.  "Why can't your words be too?"

Law felt Kid's hands hold his hips down and squeeze lightly.

"Want to keep going? I bet I can get you to come twice. Once with my hand, and once when I fuck you."

That got Law out of his daze as he locked eyes with Kid and snarled, "Don't even...think about it." Law glared at Kid, even when the red head looked back at him with challenge in his eyes. Law then felt Kid shift and start to remove his own clothing, and that was when the dark haired doctor was finally fed up with Kid, and growled irritably, "Stop this already...I've told you countless times...I'm not..." Kid's lips cut him off, and Law winced when the red head bit him this time, lightly. Law made a muffled protest against those lips as he squeezed his eyes shut. Kid's hand had found his cock again and had started playing with it as he had back in the master bedroom of the house.

"I guess that's a yes." Kid murmured against Law's lips, "Stop being such a damn stubborn bastard. You can stop pretending anytime now that you don't know me. It's lost its entertainment value awhile ago."

Law kept his eyes shut as he struggled to keep his traitorous body from responding to the red head's touch. But it was useless as he finally came to the rough and precise movements of Kid's hand. Law rested his head back against the gurney, trying to regain his breath once more as Kid drew back again.

"Trafalgar?"

The red head's voice was deeper and much more demanding now, and Law couldn't think as the red head shoved his legs up and out of the way. The dark haired doctor started to panic as he realized that Kid was following through with the suggestion that he had made just moments before. Fingers trailed along the curve of his back, and then dipped lower to circle him.

Law turned his head away, biting his lip as the red head began to prepare him with some lube that he'd apparently stashed in the coat he'd been wearing. Or was using something else. Law didn't particularly care at this point as he tried to block his mind from what was happening.

The dark haired surgeon wanted, _needed_ , to wake up.

Law felt an uncomfortable sensation, and his eyes squeezed shut more tightly, his breath coming out in uneven gasps.

The dark haired doctor wanted this all to be a terrible, terrible nightmare.

Kid's voice cut through him again with another demand, but while Law couldn't hear him, he could damn well feel him. Feel him buried deep inside and clearly with no intention of leaving until he was finished as he began to thrust.

Law was in such absolute and utter mental torture that the red head's demands seemed to come from further and further away. And with it, the sensations that were cutting through his body like a burning knife.

Law hated that he couldn't get Kid to back off. Law hated the helpless feeling of things being out of his control. Of being forced to do something. That no protest seemed good enough to make Kid leave him alone. That it didn't seem to matter whether Law was awake or asleep, because Kid always seemed to be there. And no matter how much Law wanted to fight back and rid himself of the damn red head, the dark haired man was finding it to be a difficult task to accomplish.

Law couldn't escape.

-x-

Law fell out of the chair in the small office in the morgue. The doctor hit the ground and that startled Law enough to realize that he was no longer bound or having Kid force himself on him because he thought the surgeon was faking not knowing him. Breathing hard, Law whipped his head to and fro wildly, but Kid was nowhere to be seen. The dark haired doctor looked himself over, and found that he was still bleeding from the various wounds that Kid had given him with the scalpel. Law shifted uncomfortably on the ground as he also noticed that he was still sporting a rather embarrassing erection.

Things were getting out of hand, especially if the dreams he was having with Kid in them could be so realistic that the doctor was still turned on when he finally broke free of them.

Law rose from the ground, wincing a little. Before he could decide what to about this most recent violation in his dreams, he needed to go find a bathroom to take care of himself. He didn't want to do that in the morgue, because that was just wrong in his mind. Law pressed an arm up against the cut to his abdomen as he made his way to the nearest bathroom. He would also need to clean these wounds before he left. Law kept a wary eye out for Kid, because it would just figure if the red headed ghost decided to watch him or something.

Law cautiously entered the bathroom, and held still as he listened for any movement. Nothing. Law relaxed a little as he went into the nearest stall, and feeling that it wouldn't take that much more to relieve himself, didn't bother to shut the stall behind him. Law wiggled his hips a little as he maneuvered his pants and boxers down a bit to give himself an easier time to do the deed, and then get the hell out, as if he expected Kid to suddenly intrude upon him.

Just as the doctor's hand closed over his dick, a warm body collided with his back, and two arms wrapped around his waist comfortably. Law froze in place as he noted with a jolt of panic that one of the arms most certainly wasn't flesh. And the person behind him was more than happy to be pressed up against him. Law shivered a little as a head rested on his shoulder, and light breath puffed against his ear as Kid spoke to him in a curiously amused tone of voice.

"Can I watch you jack off, Trafalgar?"

Law, instead of being startled or panicking further, became annoyed. Hadn't he woken up? Why the hell was Kid there in the bathroom with him? The bathroom...Law realized that he was currently in a bathroom stall with Kid, and more than likely trapped in it with the other, who was clearly still in the mood. The red head's right hand trailed down to rest over the doctor's, and Kid pressed up against the dark haired man more closely. Law lost whatever calm he may have built up when he knew there was no escape this time either.

"Let go of me! Leave me alone!" Law struggled in Kid's grasp, but was unable to free himself.

Kid merely tightened his grip on Law, and held on as if his life depended on it. Kid's voice had taken on a note of pleading, even though the red head desperately tried to make it sound otherwise. As if he didn't want that kind of emotion to surface. "Don't leave me."

Law was feeling colder and colder the longer Kid held him, even though the red head was still warm, until finally, just like that...

...he woke up.

Law found himself in the office once more, and with a swift movement, jerked his shirt up to look at his waist for the injuries. Law shakily traced a finger along the barely there scar. Law wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but knew at the very least he was fully awake this time. The dark haired doctor let his shirt drop back down as he calmly rose, and left the morgue.  At the very least he had no erection this time around.

As Law headed for the exit of the hospital, he felt that something had to be done to get all of this to stop happening to him. As Law stepped into another brisk and windy night, he was, for once, at a loss of what exactly to do.

After all, what _could_ one do to deal with a ghost that didn't seem to have any intention of leaving you alone?


	13. A Warning

As he left the hospital, Law's thoughts were entirely focused on what he should do about Kid. How could he manage to get the red headed ghost to leave him alone for good? It was seeming more and more that Kid was unwilling or unable to believe that Law didn't know who he was.  And would do anything and everything he possibly could to try and get the doctor to 'remember' him.  It was an unpleasant thought, because no matter how much Kid tried, there was nothing for Law to remember.

Things could only end badly if things continued as they had.

The dark haired surgeon walked along the sidewalk automatically, lost in thought until he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. It was lucky that he wasn't too far from the home he was renting, and it was a relatively safe...

Law stopped, and blinked in faint surprise at where he was. The doctor had thought that he'd been on the shortest path home, but instead it appeared as though he had been drawn to a shop down the street, a few blocks from the house. It looked familiar, meaning that he'd gone by the place before, though why he'd subconsciously gone there, he couldn't say.

The surgeon stared at the sign hanging over the shop, and didn't recall seeing it before.  Not that he'd had much time to go shopping lately, with his schedule, or when he was younger and not able to wander off as often on his own. It appeared to be a magic shop that offered tarot readings and other kinds of hocus pocus that some people seemed to be interested in. Law was about to walk away, when he paused mid-step, and looked back at the semi lit shop that was still open even at this late hour. For some odd reason, the doctor felt that he was supposed to go in, since he had inadvertently ended up outside of it. Law dwelt on his troubles with Kid for only a few seconds before he made up his mind. It wouldn't hurt anything, since he didn't have an answer of what to do on his own about his ghostly, unwanted tagalong.  Law moved forward and wrapped a hand around the doorknob. The dark haired doctor decided that he would do just about anything to try and rid himself of Kid, including going into this dubious-looking shop.

Law entered the shop and closed the door, but not before the bells jingled, announcing that he had entered. Law took a few steps forward, giving a few of the small shelves with a wide range of magical paraphernalia a slow once over.  Perhaps this wasn't precisely the kind of place he should be to look for ways to deal with Kid.  The surgeon looked around, but no matter which direction he looked, Law didn't see the owner of the shop anywhere...

"Welcome."

Law started at the suddenly there voice and whirled around, and just managed to prevent himself from gasping that someone stood behind him not two feet away. And Law hadn't heard them approach at all. The doctor stared at the other man, and the gaze was returned as he himself was studied intently. Law presumed that the man was the owner of the shop. The man had long hair that fell down past his shoulders, and he had markings over his brow, and on his chest from where the shirt was partially open.

Law wasn't quite sure what to say, but the man beat him to it as he brushed past him silently, as if it were not at all abnormal to suddenly appear behind someone else and startle them. The man took a seat in a corner of the small room, a table beside him. The long haired male indicated the chair across from the table, opposite of him, "Be seated." Picking up on Law's hesitation, the man started to shuffle a deck, before he drew a few cards out. He looked them over silently, before speaking in a level tone, "You have troubles that you wish to know if you can have resolved. You're not sure whether a normal course of action would be adequate, so you chose to come here, seeking answers." The man lifted his gaze to meet the doctor's, "Is that correct?"

Law hesitated for a moment, but since it wasn't like he had any answers to his problems yet, he figured he would take what he could get. The surgeon walked forward slowly and lowered himself into the seat across from the long haired owner of the shop.

The man made a little nod with his head, as if confirming something, before he shuffled the deck again and laid it aside. He looked across the table at Law, "My name is Basil Hawkins. I am the owner of this shop. As you are seeking answers, we will start with a tarot reading. I find them to be more accurate for myself to read." Hawkins studied Law silently, before adding, "I take it whatever is wrong has gotten bad enough that you are unable to resolve it by yourself?"

Seeing Law nod, Hawkins passed the deck over to him, "If you will shuffle it, I will begin."

The dark haired doctor took the deck and shuffled it, half thinking that the man before him was a little odd. Law finished shuffling and handed it back over to Hawkins, and watched as he drew several cards from the top, and laid them out before him on the table. Hawkins flipped the first one over, "The Eight of Swords. You are frustrated by your predicament, and your patience for it is at an end. You need a way out, but you are unable to see one for yourself. Hence you seeking answers from others." Hawkins flipped the second card, and studied for a moment, "The Knight of Wands. I sense that there is an overwhelming male presence that is responsible for your current troubles. The Nine of Coins. You wish to be acknowledged as a surgeon of renown in the eyes of others, and for your past to be put behind you. And that is why you wish for your current problem to leave you, so that this will be possible."

Law was silent as Hawkins flipped the fourth card. He was holding his breath for now, feeling unnerved by the other man's accuracy thus far.

"Death, reversed. There is something from the past that has not been able to move on. It cannot move on, or refuses to do so. Clinging onto something from its past in the present. The World, reversed. You have been carrying your fears of this presence, and keeping them to yourself, in an attempt to deal with it on your own. The Lovers, reversed. There is an obsessive relationship that someone is trying to force on you through delusions of their own making." Hawkins turned over the last four cards, and read them off aloud to Law, until he came to the tenth and final card. Hawkins tapped it lightly with one finger, "The Star, reversed. You have been lured into a sense of false security." Hawkins eyes remained on the card as he continued, "You hold to the belief that that which is in your life cannot reach you in the world of the living. That whatever interactions there may be, that it is only temporary here. However..." Hawkins looked away from the card and straight at Law, "I see a darkness. A shadow. It is clinging to you, and if you do not rid yourself of it, nothing good will come of it. You have been tricked into thinking that it will get better, when the opposite is true."

Law was again struck by how much Hawkins had been able to guess when reading off pictures from a bunch of hand drawn cards. What he'd said as he turned each of them over. Those words couldn't be denied, the accuracy of those words, however vague on occasion, merely because Law was fairly certain he'd never met the man before. The dark haired doctor reluctantly looked across the table when the shop owner spoke again, and saw that he had shuffled the deck and drew a few cards of his own.

"You will be able to get aid in dealing with what is hovering over you and disrupting your life. Some of that aid will be found for you and some of it will come to you." Hawkins' gaze went from the card currently in his hand to Law, his voice more serious than before, "However, be aware that if you do not receive this aid, the path you are currently on will only lead to death in the end."

Law felt a little chilled with how the other man had sounded when saying that, but managed to retain his calm as he rose. Law walked a few steps, before he spoke, "And how will I know if things change and that is no longer the case?"

"I cannot say. Some of the cards were not as clear as the others."  Hawkins followed Law to the door, and watched the doctor leave before he called after him, "If you need answers for whom to contact, return here." Seeing Law's head nod slightly in acknowledgment, Hawkins closed the door. However, the long haired man sensed something that made him uneasy, and he turned back to look out of his shop. Hawkins held perfectly still as he suddenly saw the image of a red haired man standing a few steps away from the door. When the amber eyes met his, Hawkins could tell that he was all but being warned to stay away from Law, even though there were no words spoken. Almost as soon as he had seen the vision, the red head turned and followed along after Law, before the red head vanished into thin air the further away the doctor got from the shop.

Hawkins let out a low sigh, before he went back to the table and ran through a few hands of his cards. Each time he did a reading, his expression grew more and more serious. No matter what he did, all he could find in Law's future was death. But only as long as the red haired man was in the picture. but even though Law would live should the red head leave his life, there seemed to be something completely preventing Law from returning to a normal life.  Almost as if...almost as if there was another presence that was to hang on to Law in the future.  The long haired shop owner set the cards aside.

The future was something to be considered at a later date. The present was what Law needed to focus on at this point in time. 

Hawkins didn't know if the dark haired surgeon would be able to rid himself of the presence because of how strongly it was already attached to him. Hawkins had even sensed it in the shop, despite the apparition being outside. The obsession. The violent, protective air. The insanity. The delusion. 

Law really didn't have all that much time left, and if he didn't seek out the help that he needed to rid himself of the red head, it would be an even shorter time that remained.

-x-

The footsteps had been getting louder and louder over the past few weeks. It seemed to come and go in intensity, and Ace just figured that it meant that the person doing the movement was in different states of mind. Meaning Law was having a lot of mood swings, probably because of the schedule that he kept as a surgeon.

Tonight, however, Ace was finally tired enough of Law's weird midnight wanderings that the freckled teen decided that he needed to confront him about it.

The footsteps were loud again that night, and the heavy footfalls woke Ace as easily as the other times had. He was a little exasperated that Luffy was able to snooze right through them. Though at least that meant that Ace knew it wasn't his younger brother wandering around and eating a midnight snack. Sometimes even eating while fast asleep.

Ace did check his brother's bed, just to make sure. When he saw, and heard, Luffy shifting and snoring in bed, he knew that tonight wasn't his brother. Ace glanced over at his clock, before letting out a sigh of annoyance. This was the eighth time in the past three weeks that he'd been woken up in the middle of the night. This had to stop.

Ace slid out of bed and wandered over to the door with a yawn. The older teen shouldered open the door and stopped at the top of the stairs after he'd exited the bedroom, and caught sight of someone heading into the living room. Ace went down the stairs, his movements still a little uncoordinated, as he was still waking up. This night time wandering either had to stop or be done more discreetly. Ace frowned a little, stopping short just inside the living room.

There was no one there.

Ace caught sight of a shadow across the wall that led into the dining room area of the kitchen. Ace ran a hand through his messy hair as he said in a sleep laced, irritable growl, "Would you stop wandering around so loudly? You keep waking me up." Ace saw the shadow vanish further into the other room, and the teen followed, stopping short again when he saw that Law wasn't in the kitchen.

A door closed, and Ace turned in response to the noise. It sounded like it had come from the smaller door that lead to the cellar. Ace, fully awake by now, headed out of the kitchen and over to the door. He studied it for a moment before he opened it and raised a hand to flick on the light.

It didn't turn on.

Ace ignored the lack of a light as he carefully headed down the stone stair steps, until he came to the landing. Ace leaned against the brick wall that was next to him, and allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom. The light coming from the entry way to the house barely reached half way down the stairs, but it was enough to get a general impression of the cellar-basement.  As soon as he could make out the outlines in the room, the furnace and the water heater and the shelves for storage, Ace was able to catch sight of someone lurking just behind the non functioning boiler.

From the outline of the figure, Ace was able to identify it as Law. Not that Ace thought it would have been anyone else. He would have definitely noticed if someone had broken into the house. Ace let out a sigh as he shook his head and half turned to head back up the stairs, "I don't care if you wander around the house at night, Law, but could you at least keep it down?" Receiving no response, Ace began to go up the stairs, though he did pause mid step when a hand suddenly wrapped itself around one of his wrists in a firm grip.

Ace held still for only a moment, before he shook his hand free of the cold hand that had seized his wrist. Ace continued up the stairs, "You're going to catch a cold if you keep hanging out down here. You're a doctor, aren't you? Take better care of yourself.  Your hand is freezing already. You should go warm up." Ace ignored soft laughter that followed him up, though he was a little irked that the laughter had been directed at him. Ace left the small door open, assuming that Law would want to come up to go to bed eventually. He did have to work the next day, and being sleep deprived wasn't the best thing for a surgeon.

Ace started up the staircase to the second floor, and that was when he heard footsteps again. Ace paused halfway up, and glanced over his shoulder. He saw a figure standing just inside the entrance to the basement, on the first step so that the figure could stare up at Ace. The freckled teen could tell, as far as he could see in the shadows, that it was Law that was standing there. Ace shook his head again, "Don't be such a creep, man." The doctor was acting weird tonight. Ace walked the short distance to his and Luffy's bedroom, and shut himself in.

Twenty minutes later Ace was fast asleep once more. He didn't stir this time when the door suddenly opened of its own volition, and stopped about halfway.

The figure of Law stood quietly there in the darkness of the hall, staring at the sleeping teenagers, before he slowly turned away and walked out of view.

The sound of footsteps echoing within the house started up again, though it was quieter this time around. It was almost as if the person making them was humoring Ace in an almost mocking manner with how precise the footsteps sounded with each step. The sound stopped a half hour later when the front door opened.

-x-

Law entered the house, visibly exhausted as he absently closed the door behind him. He was far too weary and unnerved by what had happened at the hospital and Hawkins' shop to notice that the small door to the cellar swung shut and closed without a sound.

Kid didn't notice that the door had closed either, since he was sticking close to Law and trying to figure out what was wrong. The red head was deep in thought as he puzzled over why his dark hared lover seemed to be so opposed to being with him, especially when it came to sex. Kid had thought that he'd gotten through to Law in the hospital, but he hadn't appeared to have enjoyed it as much as Kid thought he would have.

The red head followed Law into the master bedroom and watched as the doctor collapsed onto his bed. Kid smiled in bemusement as Law bundled himself in many sheets and blankets, before he curled in on himself. It was very bizarre to see Law acting in this manner, and not being his usual smirking, confident self. Kid waited until the doctor was breathing softly in sleep, before Kid himself sat down on the edge of the bed. The red head reached out and tugged the blankets and sheets out of the way, and slipped Law's shirt up to study where he'd injured Law with the scalpel. The sight that greeted Kid's eyes made him frown.

There were no open wounds.

Kid blinked in confusion as he ran a finger lightly along Law's skin. The red head knew for sure that he'd left wounds all over his lover's body. Well, in three places, and it hadn't been life threatening wounds, but still, there should have been something...

Kid brushed his fingertip along the skin again, before he leaned in close to inspect it. It was then that he saw the thin, very faint scars where the injuries had been made, instead of fresh ones congealing. It was as if the cuts had healed in the hour and a half since they'd left the hospital. Kid settled back, and wondered what that meant, that the fresh wounds were now scars. However, Kid was currently more concerned by the fact that Law really _didn't_ seem to know who he was. Kid looked down at Law as he reached out his right hand toward him, before he stopped and drew it away. Kid knew that he had to have imagined the light pressure of a hand suddenly squeezing his shoulder, since he was still focused on the fact that the sleeping Law wasn't remembering him. Kid let his hands drop to his lap, before he looked down at them and clenched them.

That Law didn't recognize him hurt Kid more than he thought it would. The red head still had no idea what to do about Law's refusal to acknowledge him. Other than to continue to try and get through to his dark haired lover. He had waited for so long for Law to come back to him.  Kid couldn't stop now. He wouldn't stop.

Not until he got what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recall having fun playing around with tarot card meanings for the fic, so I mostly left this chapter alone for the most part but for a few fixes here and there.


	14. Ghost

Ace woke the next morning early, when it was still dark outside.

There didn't seem to be any reason for waking up so suddenly, but the older teen heard a rustle of paper. Ace sat up and caught a piece of paper that fluttered down to his lap. He turned it over and saw that it was the note that had been found with the ring. From one of the pouches that Luffy had found in the cellar.

Why was it there? 

Ace wasn't sure what to make of it. He had thought for sure that he'd put it in the desk drawer, out of sight. Movement caught the teen's eyes, and he glanced across the room, to where the bedroom door was open partway. He could have sworn that there was someone standing out in the hall, and more importantly, staring at him, but upon a second glance, there was no one there. Ace frowned at the open door.

Weird.

He thought that he had shut it.

Ace rose out of bed with a faint frown, and, taking the note with him, went into the hall and over to Law's bedroom. He opened the door as quietly as he could to peer inside, but he found that the surgeon had already left for the day with the unmade bed. Ace shook his head and wandered back to his bedroom, thinking that he had some time to sleep some more before he would have to boot Luffy out of bed to go to school.

-x-

The day went by with nothing unusual happening like the night before. Ace just couldn't find a good explanation for why he had thought that he had seen someone standing in the hallway that morning either.  Especially since this wasn't the first time it had happened, but Ace had begun to notice that Law was either usually asleep or gone from the house when it occurred. Ace was getting a little tired of the whole thing, but he kept it to himself. Luffy hadn't mentioned anything to him about being woken up at odd hours of the early morning and Ace was sure that his brother would have said something if he had started to think that there were ghosts in the house or something.

Ace scoffed at the very idea. Unless he actually saw proof of one, then there was no such thing as a ghost.  At least, that was Ace thought, anyway, until later that evening when he and Luffy were all alone in the house.

Or so they believed.

-x-

Luffy had returned from school, and after unwillingly doing his homework, had gone up to the bedroom for a reprieve from the mind numbingly boring papers he'd brought from school.  He'd left them on the dining room table, figuring they weren't going anywhere. It was getting darker out, and Luffy wanted to take a look at the golden coins he had found weeks before.

The young teenager spread out the coins on his bed, and studied them closely, as if the coins themselves would tell the teen where they'd come from. Luffy still held on to the belief that they were some pirate's treasure that they had, for whatever reason, hidden in this house. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.  A few good miles from the house there was a port off the city that was no longer in use.  There was no saying that a pirate wouldn't leave the sea in order to bury their treasure or otherwise hide it from view.  With a grin at the thought, Luffy reached out to pick up a golden coin, when he stopped, feeling an unexplained chill. It also felt...almost like he was being watched. 

How bizarre, but exciting.

Luffy looked around the whole room, but when he didn't see anyone, he moved off the bed and went to look out the open bedroom door. The cold sensation was stronger there, but Luffy did not see a reason for it being there.  After all, no one was there, and it sounded like Ace was still in the living room, or dining room.  But as soon as the teen trued to see where the cold spot had come from, it slowly dissipated.

The young black haired teen shrugged to himself as he turned back to go to his bed. That was weird. Why had he thought he was being watched? It wasn't like there would be anyone there unless they were a...

Luffy came to an abrupt halt when he caught sight of a taller, red haired male standing in the room, and what caught Luffy's attention was that the man looked faded, almost see through. Luffy thought the red haired male was dressed like a pirate, with his furred jacket, open shirt beneath it, and oddly patterned pants, but maybe that was just him wanting it to be a ghost pirate looking for treasure. He'd laid the gold coins out on the desk after all.  Maybe the ghost had sensed it or something.  The younger teen wasn't at all afraid. He was excited. Luffy had told his brother that ghosts were real. Any sleepiness Luffy may have felt vanished as he grinned. He wasn't even bothered by the fact that the red head was glowering at him, and instead asked excitedly, "Are you a ghost?"

Luffy didn't appear to realize that the red head did not like the question at all.

-x-

Kid stared at the widely grinning teen, and wondered if the kid was messing around with him. Kid had been under the impression that this brat, as well as the older one, had been ignoring him all this time, like Law. Kid could almost hear his lover's voice whispering to him.  Heard the ghost of a whisper in his nearest ear. About silencing the brat for daring to utter such things to him. Kid allowed himself a faint, genuine smile at the echo of the voice he wanted to hear. He remembered quite clearly that Law would talk to him about him killing people, though only about who Kid killed. The red head had been amused that the doctor had admitted to him, eventually, that he really got off on watching Kidd kill someone, and usually not when Kid was off on his ship and raiding the nearest town.

In fact, Kid could picture clearly in his mind what had happened the first time that his lover had seen him kill.

_Kid is not aware that Law is witnessing him kill a man. That he watches from a distance sometimes when the red head is driven to a murderous rage that usually ends in murder. As soon as Kid realizes he's being watched, he's uncertain. The red head believes it is foolish of him to worry what Law will think of him murdering someone in cold blood, as they converse about the idea of such constantly._

_Kid watches Law approach him, and he is struck by the urge to run. To pretend this didn't happen, and meet the other man at his house._ _Kid is able to walk away, but reluctantly stops when a hand closes over one wrist._

_"What's wrong?"_

_Kid laughs, and turns back to the doctor as he uses his free hand to indicate the dead man on the ground._

_Law glances down briefly, before he merely shakes his head, "So? Did he do something to deserve it?"_

_Kiddshrugs, "He asked too many questions."_

_"Well, that's more of an excuse than my getting organs from patients that are dead or dying."_

_Kid grins as he pulls Law close and sneaks an arm around his waist, and pulls him close to his side. "So you don't care?" Kid laughs again at the look he is given, and the smile turns dark when he notices something else. It seems his lover was more than fine with him killing a man if he got turned on like that._

Kid sighed to himself as he banished the memories for now, and tuned back into the present. The younger teen before him was still looking at him expectantly, as if expecting his question to be answered. Kid figured that he must still be dwelling a little on the past, because he could still hear the phantom voice of his lover urging him to do something about the brat. The red head was more than happy to comply. It seemed like a good idea anyway. Kid didn't like the little brat anyway, especially when he'd just asked to his face if he was a ghost.

Kid _wasn't_ a ghost, and he'd prove it. The red head grin grew slightly demented when he saw Luffy's expression became puzzled, as if the teen had noticed that something wasn't quite right. Kid closed in on him, the doctor's voice still seeming to speak to him from somewhere nearby, even though Law had gone to work earlier.

Kid bared his teeth further in a savage grin. He would teach this teen to not ask such stupid questions.

-x-

Ace thought that Luffy was being a bit too quiet, which meant that he might be getting up to something. Like opening up more holes in the walls in search of buried treasure. Ace stretched as he exited the living room to go check on his younger brother, and as he left, he was in time to see Luffy back out of the bedroom. Ace started to move as soon as he saw Luffy's back come into contact with the railing, and there was no other explanation as Luffy went hurtling over backward to the first floor. Someone had just shoved his brother, even though there didn't appear to be anyone there. Ace reached up and managed to catch Luffy before he could hurt himself, and the momentum took both brothers to the ground.

"Someone shoved me..." Luffy began to say, when he saw Ace looking at him questioningly. Luffy didn't get to say who had done the pushing, as Ace was already racing up the stairs. He didn't spot anyone in the immediate area. Law wasn't back from the hospital yet...not that the doctor would have actually done something like that to Luffy.

Ace felt a cold chill sweep over him, followed instantly by the sudden sensation of being roughly shoved backward. Ace stumbled back several feet but managed to retain his balance by gripping the railing. The older teen realized that there was no one actually there to have done the pushing. Which meant...

A mocking laugh seemed to come from out of nowhere, and the cold, as quickly as it had come, retreated.

Ace calmly walked back down the stairs, and over to where Luffy was now standing, to make sure that his brother was all right. Ace tuned out Luffy saying that he had told him that ghosts were real as he looked back up at the second floor of the house. There really was something wrong with this house, like Ace had thought when he had first laid eyes on it. And he was going to find out just what that was.

Ace wasn't going to let someone who tried to harm his brother think that they could get away with it while he was around.

-x-

After another long day of work, Law was more than ready to call it a night and drop down onto his bed and sleep. Law stopped just inside the entryway to the house and felt that it might be a little longer before he could go to sleep. The doctor noticed that Ace was still awake, and was leaning against a nearby wall, and looking displeased about something. Law closed the front door and locked it, before he sighed. He already had enough things to deal with, and a surly teen wasn't one he particularly wanted to add to the list. "Yes?" Law asked as he dumped his coat onto a nearby chair.

"Someone shoved my brother over the railing earlier." Ace responded, crossing his arms and eying the doctor.

"He didn't fall on his own?" Law had a bad feeling about this. Perhaps he'd been wrong about Kid only being interested in bothering him.

"Not with the way he fell." Ace could tell that Law was avoiding something, but didn't really care at this point to find out what. He had something else that he wanted that he felt was more important right now, "Do you have the phone number for the homeowner? I have some questions I want to ask them."

Law dipped a hand into his pocket and took out his wallet. He searched inside it for a moment, before drawing out a scrap of paper with a phone number scrawled on it.

Ace pushed away from the wall and took the offered scrap of paper, before he headed up to his bedroom.

Law watched him go, before he sighed and decided that if Ace hadn't wanted to do it, he'd been ready to call Crocodile himself. Law wanted to know if the violet haired man had ever experienced anything paranormal in the house. The dark haired man just hadn't been up to calling with all that had been going on.  Law headed for the master bedroom with a sigh. His nerves were already shot, and in a way, it amused him to think what Crocodile would think of a random teenager calling him and demanding answers.


	15. Facts

Crocodile had decided to spend his morning pouring over reports and suggestions of trade items, and he was, quite frankly, getting irritated by his subordinates. Who the hell needed so much paint and candle wax anyway? There just weren't high enough finances to justify getting a whole roomful of those items. The violet haired man dropped the stack of suggestions onto a nearby desk and jammed a cigar between his teeth and lit it. Crocodile moodily sat down on another chair in the room, scowling a little at the newspaper for the day. A murder in the area. _Someone_ wasn't being careful enough to avoid the attentions of the cops, and Crocodile had even lent assistance to create a diversion.

Crocodile read the article, before he tossed the newspaper back onto the table and tapped his hook against his knee in thought. He presumed the cover up had been done by Doflamingo, since the authorities weren't quite sure what had happened. The violet haired man wasn't surprised. That pink wearing flashy bastard wasn't about to let the cops corner him. The phone started to ring, and Crocodile reached over to answer it. Finally, something to take his mind off stupid subordinates and crappy cover up stories. Crocodile puffed away at the cigar as he spoke, unable to keep out a low growl of irritation, "Yeah, what is it?" Whatever Crocodile had expected, it wasn't to be harangued by what sounded like a teenager.

_"Are you the owner of the house that is renting to Law?"_

Crocodile couldn't place the voice, other than yes, it sounded like a demanding teenager, "Who is this?" If the teenager was asking about the house he thought, the one that Law was renting, then he assumed that either the doctor had given the teen his phone number, or the brat had taken it from him without him knowing it.

_"I want to know more about the house."_

"And I asked who the hell you are. Where did you get this number?" Crocodile was very displeased that someone he didn't know was calling him. At least it didn't sound like it was an undercover cop. He'd had his fill of those already.  So, if not a nosy cop, then it really was a damn teen who was far more interested in harassing him about the house.

_"It doesn't matter who I am. What does matter is that my brother was almost hurt by something in the house. I don't care whether it was a ghost or an actual person that tried to do that. I'm not going to let my brother get hurt, so where can I find information on the house?"_

Crocodile was silent as he considered the words that had just been spoken. While the violet haired man wasn't pleased to have someone call him with a number that shouldn't have been obtained so easily, he understood what the teen on the line was talking about. Crocodile had never liked the house to begin with, so he just rented it out and otherwise stayed away from it. It was odd for him to do such things, but for that house, the violet haired man made an exception. Crocodile wasn't prone to being afraid of anything or anyone, but there was just something unpleasant about the house that he did not like one bit. Like he was being constantly watched when he was in the place.

After weighing his options, Crocodile spoke, deciding that it was better to get the teen out of his hair and deal with the number snatching later. "You can find information about the house with Daz Bones. He works for me. He mainly handles the paperwork for houses I rent out, among other things, in addition to his other job."

_"What's his other job?"_

Crocodile laughed at the fact that the teen sounded almost bored, as if he didn't actually expect an answer, "He would kill you if you asked him and he told you." Crocodile dug around in the small cabinet next to the table, and pulled out a piece of paper with an address on it. Crocodile read the address over the phone to the teenager. The violet haired man put the paper away, and his voice grew dangerous as he warned the caller on the other end of the line, "Don't call me ever again. I am, however, going to find out how you got a hold of my number."

_"I'm not planning to, but I might show up at your house sometime. If my brother comes to harm. Since it does seem that you knew something wasn't right with the house, and you rented it to Law without even mentioning it."_

The phone hung up before Crocodile could respond to that. He scowled at the phone, before dropping it back onto the receiver. He only had to sit there for a few moments, smoking his cigar, before he decided to use the phone. He was going to take care of random brats finding his phone number right now. Crocodile absently dialed a number, before he leaned backward in the chair and waited for his call to be answered. It didn't take long, and the man on the other end of the line sounded cheerfully amused. Crocodile ground his teeth against the cigar.

_"Since when do_ you _call_ me _?_ _Are you not feeling well? Or is this about the shoddy cover up I had to do because I wasn't called in advance about needing to provide one sooner?"_

Crocodile exhaled irritably. It was too damn early to deal with Doflamingo, but the violet haired man wanted to take care of a more pressing issue. His damn phone number somehow being easily found by brats demanding answers. "Shut up, you damn flamingo. While I do want to know why the cover up wasn't done sooner, I wanted to know how the hell a damn teenager was able to get ahold of my phone number."

_"Fufufufu. The teenagers that are living with Law? One of them could have gone through his belongings to find it. I don't think the doctor would just hand it over. He knows better than that. I'm sure Law knows that most of us want to remain anonymous, himself included."_

Crocodile leaned more heavily against the chair, "And? What are you going to do about it? The little bastard wasn't calling from a secure line. It was probably a cell phone. What if the cops intercept the call and trace it?"

Doflamingo could be heard laughing. _"What do you want me to do about it?"_

"Get the damn number from your little doctor. He's more likely to hand it over to you than me, right?" Crocodile hated that Doflamingo found this conversation to be highly entertaining. Like he wasn't concerned at all about the cops tracing anyone.

_"Ah, are you jealous that he will work for me and not for you? That's cute. Are you sure that getting the phone number is all you want from me?"_

Definitely too damn early to deal with the pink wearing son of a bitch and his weirdness. Crocodile sighed, not in the mood for Doflamingo to toy with him, "Just get the number, would you? I can make sure that the cover up you did the other night won't lead the cops in the right direction."

_"Fine. fine. When do you want me to go get the number?"_

"Today." Crocodile hung up after he heard Doflamingo burst into laughter at his paranoia of his number being found by the wrong person.

-x-

Daz Bones wasn't nearly as intimidating as Ace had expected him to be. He was far more quiet than anything. At least that was the impression Ace got when the man opened the door.

After a few moments of staring at one another, Ace decided to speak first, "I was told that I could find information on the house that Law is renting...from your boss."

Daz stepped back to allow Ace inside the house. The bald man walked over to some files, "Crocodile doesn't normally speak to people he doesn't know."

"I kinda muscled for the number because of weird stuff going in on the house." Ace was wracking his mind, trying to figure out why the name Crocodile was familiar. It hit him a few moments later, as Daz started digging through a few files after sorting them out of the rest of the file cabinets. Ace watched Daz work warily. He remembered that some of Whitebeard's allies had mentioned that Crocodile and Doflamingo had been enjoying dealing arms and other illegal paraphernalia right beneath the cops noses, and so far had gotten away with it.

"I'd be careful then. The boss likes his privacy." Daz commented after a few minutes of silence as he pulled out some papers from one of the files.

Ace figured that that was the case, since Crocodile had sounded like he wasn't at all pleased to have someone unknown calling him. It made much more sense since Crocodile was involved in illegal activities. Ace supposed that he would have to be careful, but somehow doubted that anything would be done. So long as Crocodile's anonymity was in tact.

Daz held up a few papers, "Will the deed to the house and pictures of previous owners do?"

Ace took the offered papers, and looked through them. Satisfied that he would be able to look up more information elsewhere, Ace waved the papers, "Is there somewhere I can scan these?"

Daz shook his head, "Just take them. You're staying with Law, aren't you?" Seeing Ace nod, Daz started to put the files away, "Then he can bring it back when he stops by sometime."

"...right." Ace followed Daz toward the door, and the older teen carefully walked past the other man, half pausing to glance at Daz, "Was what Crocodile said true? That if I found out what you did as a job that you'd have to kill me?

Daz cracked a very faint smile, "Yes, it is true."

"Thought so." Ace turned away and left with the papers and pictures as Daz closed the door. The older teen withheld a shiver. It had almost felt as if he'd been about to be attacked if he had pushed further with his question. Ace headed down the sidewalk, vaguely wondering if Pops had anyone with him like that. Calm, but with violent tendencies under wraps like Daz. 

Ace returned to the house and did minimal research throughout the rest of the day. By the time that Luffy returned home from school, Ace had the information he wanted. As soon as Luffy entered their bedroom, Ace pulled his brother aside and over to a desk in their room. Ace pointed to the pictures that he'd laid out earlier, "Do any of them look like the person who shoved you yesterday?"

Luffy only had to briefly look at the pictures before he pointed to a hand drawn portrait of a muscular red haired man with wild amber eyes and a crazed grin, "That guy. He sorta looks like a pirate, doesn't he? Those gold coins are probably his."

Ace silently looked over the information in the deed and the history of the house, as well as small bits of info that he'd found on the internet. The older teen's face set into a blank expression as Luffy wandered off to go eat an early dinner.

It looked like Ace had been wrong about ghosts after all.

-x-

Law wanted nothing more than to have a quiet night, but as soon as he stepped foot into the house, he saw that Ace was there again, waiting for him. Law expected the teen to say that something else had happened, but instead, Ace merely held out a picture for him to look at. The dark haired doctor looked down at it, about to ask Ace why he was bothering him when he'd just gotten off of work, when he saw who it was that was in the picture. Law paled a little at the sight, and he guessed that Ace had been successful in wrangling some answers from Crocodile.

Ace saw Law's eyes widen a bit in recognition, "Luffy said that this was the guy that shoved him over the railing yesterday evening. I guess you've seen him before too?"

Law stared at the portrait blankly, before he nodded, "A ghost." He'd never thought about the possibility of either of the teens seeing Kid, but the doctor supposed that if the red head wasn't lurking in the hospital with him, that he had to be back here in the house.

"A ghost. I never thought they actually existed." Ace said in return, before he handed the doctor a document that he'd printed off from the internet that was relevant to the red head in the portrait, Eustass Kid. Both Ace and Law heard something in the kitchen, and the freckled teen sighed a little, before he headed in the direction the sound had come from, "I'll go make sure Luffy isn't eating all the meat in the house. Again."

Law stood motionless in the front entry of the house, before he went up to the master bedroom with a determined expression on his face.  The surgeon laid the picture and the document out on the dresser a little more heavily than was really needed. Law crossed the room to a chair, and scooped up that days paper, as well as one from the week before, to put on the dresser next to the document that was already there. Law skimmed the paper that Ace had given him, before he turned his back on the dresser and spoke. He knew that Kid was likely to be around, because he could feel the coolness in the air that wasn't natural. "If you're there, you do realize that you're dead? And have been dead for quite some time, from the looks of it." Law made a motion over his shoulder to the papers laid out on the dresser, "If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the dates on the newspapers, and the one that the document was retrieved from."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Law went to bed soon after. He hoped that Kid seeing the dates would make the red headed ghost realize that the doctor was not who he thought he was. If Kid realized he was dead, wouldn't that make him leave him alone already?

-x-

Kid had been watching Law's actions with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and even a little anger when the dark haired doctor had told him that he was dead. Snorting softly and muttering something under his breath, Kid headed over to the dresser to look at the dates on the papers, mainly to humor his lover. Kid's eyes widened the longer he read through the document, however, and his amber eyes darted between the three dates that were glaring up at him with unmistakable clarity.

There was a difference of 125 years between the newspapers, and the document's date, which covered a missing person's story. His. Kid leaned closer to read the article, and found that he, Eustass Kid, had gone missing one day, and no one, not even those of his crew, knew where he had gotten to. It went on to mention that if he couldn't be found, his house would go up for auction.

Kid stared at the article, before he glanced at the newspapers again. He clenched his right hand into a fist as he tried to deny what was staring him in the face.

Things began to fall into place. Things he'd been trying to ignore for a very long time, and had been more or less successful in doing so. Until now.

The reason why he had been waiting for so long. Why Kid hadn't seen his lover, and had merely presumed that the bastard had run off for some reason or another. Why Kid could only seem to reach the Law that was currently snoozing away in the bed nearby through dreams. Why the doctor had fainted when Kid tried to touch him while awake. Kid supposed that some of those things should have rung a bell. No person alive could hop into people's dreams and make them feel so real. Not that Kid had realized what he was doing it at first. Kid stared at the newspapers blankly.

He was dead.

It sounded so wrong, but there was no way to deny it any longer.

Kid was dead, and he had had no idea that he was.

Kid stepped away from the dresser. Being dead, however, explained why he coughed so oddly on occasion. Like he was still trying to hack water out of his lungs. Kid figured all of those nightmares about drowning had been because he _had_ drowned. That's why Law had never returned to him, because Kid had died that day.

The red head ran a hand through his hair, letting out a low sigh as he tugged off the goggles that were there. He stared at them, not caring that his hair tried to adhere to gravity. If he was dead, then why did things still feel so real? Was it because his own belongings didn't count?

Kid approached the bed and gazed down at the sleeping man there, out like a light as soon as he hit the bed.  Even if Kid really was dead, the red head couldn't help but see his lover in the man that was lying there. Their appearance, their voice and their mannerisms. Their temperaments. They were all the same, and it drove Kid crazy. Maybe, just maybe, the Law that he knew was still inside this one somewhere. And Kid only had to keep trying to reach him.

The red haired male scowled. To do that, he would first have to figure out how to physically hold Law. Preferably without making the man faint again like he had before when Kid had first started trying to get his attention. The ghostly touches only seemed to do so much, as did the dreams…

Kid started to grin. Of course. The boyfriend. The one that Law was trying to deny having. If he came over to the house, maybe Kid could possess him. Ghosts could do that, couldn't they? Kid frowned.  Or was that demons?  Hell if he could remember weird shit like that.  But if he could do something like that, it would settle the matter of being able to physically hold Law, even if it was through the use of another body. Maybe he could do other things now that he knew for a fact that he was no longer alive. It was disappointing, but at the same time interesting. That he was still hanging about after dying...

Kid laughed to himself as he settled down on the bed to watch the doctor sleep. The red head reached out and brushed a few of his fingertips lightly along Law's cheek. The motion drew forth a faint shiver.

"Soon." Kid promised, as if his Law were somewhere in the subconscious of the one he could see.


	16. Momentum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't much to change in this chapter, but the next one there will be. Also, I don't think I mentioned it but let's say Doflamingo is a foot or two shorter than canon.

Law was halfway dressed to go to work when his tired mind realized what day of the week it was. The dark haired doctor let his jacket drape over a chair as he flopped gratefully back onto his bed. Law settled on the mattress a little more heavily as he let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he had a day off. Well, the dark haired surgeon was on call, but it was more of a free day then he'd had in the past couple of weeks. Law didn't know how long he lay in bed, but when he finally rolled out of it, he decided that he was only going to get something to eat. And then he would go straight back to bed to get the sleep that he sorely needed to get caught up on.

Law passed by Luffy and Ace's room, and heard the two teenagers speaking to one another in quiet tones. The doctor headed down the stairs, and hoped that the two teens weren't concocting some plan that involved silly string and a massive amount of balloons. Once was enough, though Law did think at the time what Kid must have thought of the teens antics. From the icy cold temperature that same night on the upper floor, Law figured that the red head wasn't particularly pleased that Ace had set stuff on fire in the backyard to get rid of the evidence of a well laid out prank.

Law shook his head as he entered the kitchen, wondering what went through the mind of teenagers sometimes. He certainly wasn't like that when he had been their age. Law ate in silence, and while he was rinsing the dishes, a shadow passed over him. Law hoped that it wasn't Kid trying to bother him in broad daylight. The dark haired man raised his head tentatively, and as he did, his gaze went to the window in front of him. He froze. Law's face took on an interesting look between distain and exasperation at the sight of a massive grin aimed in his direction. Law returned the look with a weary one. He really didn't need to start his day with the sight of a widely grinning Doflamingo, who had no doubt stooped to look at him from outside the kitchen window. Law sighed, before he turned and waved a hand, indicating for the blond to go around to the front door. The dark haired man heard Doflamingo laughing as he went around the house to the front, and Law reluctantly headed to open the front door.

Doflamingo was on the front step by the time Law opened the door. The blond took up the entire space of the doorway as he leered in amusement at the scowl on the doctor's face. When Law said nothing, Doflamingo tilted his head as his smile slipped a little, "You don't look happy to see me." 

Law let out another sigh as he shook his head, "I finally have a day where I only have to go in if the hospital calls, and then you show up. What do you want, Doflamingo-ya? And if it's another assassina..." Law made a muffled sound of displeasure when one of Doflamingo's large hands clamped down over his mouth.

Noticing the dark look Law eyed him with, Doflamingo glanced around, before he spoke in a low tone, "Not out here, where everyone can hear." Seeing the look deepen to an icy glare, the blond added, "And no, it isn't. Let's go in the house and talk?"

Law reached up a hand and brushed Doflamingo's aside as he took a step back, "...Fine, as long as I still get my day off today."

-x-

Kid gripped the railing of the second floor tightly, and had he actually been able to interact fully with the physical world, he would have split the wooden railing beneath his hands. He was fighting to keep himself from flying down the stairs and attacking the man that had just shown his face. Kid only held himself back because he knew that the tall figure just outside of the house couldn't possibly be the same one that he had known. From 125 years ago. Kid relaxed his grip on the railing as he frowned. Damn. It was still strange to think of himself as being dead. But that didn't seem to matter as much right now, because of the sight of the blond haired and pink wearing bastard. The red head wasn't pleased that Law looked like he was going to let that son of a bitch into the house. Doflamingo. The name that the violet haired man had mentioned. Kidd thought the name had sounded familiar, but hadn't really given it much thought. But to the important point. Law was dating _that_?

Kid narrowed his eyes as Doflamingo just laughed at something Law had said. Kid wasn't prone to feelings of jealously, not even when he and the doctor had begun to go out with one another. Mainly because he figured the doctor would find someone to be with when they weren't together. But Doflamingo...Kid had quite a lot of problems with the blond. One of them being around Law when the doctor obviously didn't want him to be. Kid shook his head. He hated to have to remind himself that the Doflamingo outside the front door was different then then one the red head had known when he had been alive, but still...

Kid squeezed the railing again as he saw Doflamingo drape an arm over Law's shoulder as he said something. The red head was pleased that Law shooed the other man away, but Kidd was still incredibly jealous that Doflamingo was acting so familiar with the doctor. Though Kid supposed that if they were going out they would have to be. Though Law seemed to like to be more private about his relationships. Kid cursed under his breath. Dammit. It really was hard to keep things straight in his mind. Why did Doflamingo and Law have to look exactly like the ones he had known all those years ago?

"I thought I killed that son of a bitch before I died..." Kid muttered crossly, displeased to think that Doflamingo somehow reincarnated into the same body to go after Law like he had in the past. Well, Kid wasn't going to let the blond have the dark haired doctor. Because _his_ Law was still in there somewhere, and Kid was damn well going to find him. He still needed to punish him for leaving him alone for so long. Though...maybe not so much anymore, since Kid realized yesterday night that he was actually dead. Law would have come back to him if he hadn't gone and drowned. Kid gripped the railing even harder than before. The Law he had known would have died within those 125 years, so why wasn't he lurking around as a ghost? Didn't he want to see him? Or had it been too long and the doctor had merely moved on with his life after the red head had vanished? After he'd died? Kidd gritted his teeth, before his shoulders slumped a little, even though the tension remained, "Trafalgar..." The red head mumbled softly. He could only hope that his lover was still somehow in the Law that was living in this house.

Kid felt the sensation of hands as they trailed along his shoulders, and it eased his tension down ever so slightly. Kid tuned out of the conversation that Law and Doflamingo were having in the entryway to the house. He wanted to pay close attention to those phantom touches that seemed remarkably similar to what his lover would do when he noticed that he'd had a bad day. Kid closed his eyes and let his mind drift. He wasn't sure if ghosts were supposed to be able to imagine things, but he was going to do it anyway. Anything to remind him of his Law. The one who wouldn't run away. The one who had stayed when all the others had left. Kid thought of the past, and decided that since he despised Doflamingo, he'd remember what it was like getting revenge on the bastard that had injured him and had nearly harmed his lover in the process. It didn't matter to Kid that it seemed as if he'd almost been forced to think about that specific event.

_Kid walks forward, even though he really needs to let his freshly bandaged wounds heal. But he isn't about to rest now. He is going to make that bastard pay. He is going to confront Doflamingo that night, even if it is against what Trafalgar suggests to him earlier in the day. The red head is better prepared this time._

_Kid is prepared for many things, but as he enters the hospital, and prowls the floors in search of Law, he is not all prepared for what he finds. Kid never expects to see Law, calm, collected, slyly smiling Law, afraid. Nor is Kid ready to see the reason for it. The reason he wears a different expression. Because Kid watches as Doflamingo forces himself on the doctor in a break room. Kid sees the bastard has mostly torn the others clothes off, and Kid doesn't think as he charges in. He rips the stitches in some of his wounds, but he doesn't care. Kid attacks with a sharp blade. Plunges it deeply into the other man's side._

_Kid grins as his lover produces a scalpel from a nearby cabinet and joins him. Kid enjoys the protests, the death threats, but even more, he loves that Law gives him a devilish smirk. A promise of things to come in the near future. Kid mirrors the smile, and turns back to carving up the blond bastard that dares to harm his lover._

_Kid isn't aware how much time passes, but does realize when he breathes heavily. The red head isn't bothered as the doctor scolds him, and helps him out of the room. Kid is merely pleased by the sight of Doflamingo, who bleeds heavily on the ground. And Kid hopes he dies as Law smuggles him into an empty room to treat his reopened wounds._

Kid brushed the past from his mind again, and frowned a little. He could have sworn that the bastard had died then. No one could survive those wounds, even if he had been helped immediately. Well, it was in the past now. Kid turned his eyes to the front door again. He had just found the perfect way to see if his Law was inside the other one. Law hated Doflamingo in the past, so perhaps possessing the blond would draw his lover out of hiding.

-x-

Doflamingo ceased teasing Law as he stepped aside to let Ace and Luffy walk by him, and out of the house. The blond man wondered how much longer Law was going to keep them around in the house.

Ace let his brother run on ahead of him as he glanced up at Doflamingo, "...Do you know someone called Crocodile?" The older teen saw Doflamingo's grin widen, and took that as a yes, "I guess you do. Did he happen to mention to you that this house is haunted by a former occupant?"

Doflamingo laughed at that, "I didn't think kids your age believed in ghosts still." Doflamingo chuckled a little at the heated glare Ace had just thrown him, "I merely told Crocodile to show Law a few places in the area that were near enough to the hospitals he'd applied to."

"There wasn't a house closer that Crocodile might have shown him?"

Doflamingo shrugged as he spread his hands in a large shrug, "I don't see why it really matters, but I told Crocodile that this house was the closest, so it should be the one he suggested to Law first."

Ace gave the tall, flamboyantly dressed man another suspicious look, before he turned away and walked past Doflamingo, and in the direction his brother had gone. He didn't think that that was the whole story, but Ace wasn't going to bother prying while Law was around.

Doflamingo watched the teens leave, before he ducked and entered into the house, and closed the door behind him with one shove of his foot. Doflamingo straightened up, and noticed that Law was giving him an exasperated expression.

"Why are you here?" Law demanded, as he hoped that Doflamngo would answer this time instead of jerking his chain. He was tired and was really in the mood to go back to bed and hope his phone didn't ring.

"Crocodile wants a little extra cash for Ace getting a hold of his phone number. He called me as I was headed over here, and earlier in the day too."

"If it's more money he wants, I really don't care. I'm going to be making more money soon enough."

Doflamingo laughed as he stole forward and draped an arm over Law's shoulders again, "Fufufu. I can take care of it. I find it amusing that Crocodile is getting so worked up over the whole thing anyway. It's hard to ruffle his feathers."

Law leaned a little to the side from the sudden arm over his shoulders, but otherwise didn't try to shake the other man off of him. Mostly because the blond had better leverage, but also because Law wasn't exactly bothered by the other man's presence as some others were. "Is that all you came here for? Because that's something you could have just called me about."

Doflamingo dropped his arm and backed off a little, "Do you still have Crocodile's number lying around? I might as well take it and reassure Crocodile that no one else is going to get his number."

Law shook his head. It was ridiculous that Crocodile would even think that he'd give away the number without thinking about who he was giving it to. He wasn't worried about Ace calling the cops on Crocodile unless he did something to his younger brother. Law jerked his head irritably, "Yeah, I have it. I'll go get it."

-x-

Doflamingo waited, a little impatiently, for Law to return with the number. The blond peered around the living room, as if he expected someone to jump out at him. Doflamingo chuckled softly at the very thought. It wasn't because he thought someone was actually going to try and attack him. It was just the house. The longer he was in this place, the more uncomfortable he became. Doflamingo didn't like being anywhere near the short door to the basement. Hadn't liked going anywhere near the place when Crocodile had showed the house to him months and months ago. Doflamingo had only come over because he'd thought it was hilarious that Crocodile wanted an opinion about the place. Even if it was business, as the house was strategically placed near where their trade agreements took place.

Doflamingo was unaware that he was being watched by two sets of unseen eyes. Neither one of the gazes regarded the tall blond with a pleasant expression.

-x-

Kid checked to make sure that Doflamingo was all alone, before he started to walk toward him. He hadn't realized that he'd be able to possess the 'boyfriend' so quickly, and he was really anticipating the look on Law's face. Kid never put much thought into horror, since he'd lived through some gruesome things while growing up. Hell, his life had been filled with crazy shit and a lot of death. But this? It was different. Kid drew closer to Doflamingo, and was satisfied when the blond lost his smile. No doubt he was feeling the cold that Kid presumed he brought with him everywhere he went.

The red haired ghost wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do to possess someone, but figured that it was similar to when he had hopped into the dark haired doctor's dreams. Which meant that he needed to get as close as possible to Doflamingo. Distasteful, but Kid was willing to do just about anything to get through to Law at this point. Kid shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around the blond, plunging Doflamingo into a bone chilling cold. A cold that all but paralyzed the blond, and prevented Doflamingo from even making a sound of protest at Kid's sudden touch.

Kid kept his eyes shut, and decided to concentrate on the goal he had at hand. Possessing this pink wearing freak to draw out his Law from the one that was constantly denying him. Kid wondered how long it would take to get control of Doflamingo's body. That's how possessions worked, right? Just hop on in to another body and wear it like a costume. Pretend you were someone else.

Kid sensed alarm, and a presence, but he was able to force it out of the way, despite it immediately protesting the invasion. The red head didn't give one damn what some random thing thought. Kid was going to have Law, and if he needed to use this son of a bitch's body to do it, he was going to do it. The presence backed off a little, whether from Kid's own presence forcing it back, or because it was alarmed to realize that someone else was in the body with it. Kid wasn't going to think about metaphysical shit that day, so the presence was going to remain a presence, and not a person. A certain blond person who was utterly confused with what was happening to him at that very moment.  Though the confusion was very brief.

The ghost opened his eyes, and blinked. What the fuck? Why was his vision suddenly a different color...Kid let out a gasp as he realized that he was breathing. As in, actually taking air in for the purpose of continuing to live. Kid shakily lifted a hand, and it sure as hell wasn't his. Kid reached up with that hand and removed the glasses that were there, and dropped them on to a table nearby. Kid grinned with the body he'd successfully possessed, and moved Doflamingo's body shakily over to a mirror. He'd always wondered what were beneath the man's tinted glasses. Kid stared at the mirror for a few moments, before he grinned again, and spoke, "Damn, you are one creepy motherfucker. What person has that color of blue eyes anyway? No wonder you wear those glasses." Kid turned the body away from the mirror, and shakily forced it toward the staircase. As he went up, Kid didn't realize that the cellar door had creaked open.

Within the shadows, a pair of eyes watched Doflamingo progress up the stairs. The shakiness of the movement grew less and less as Kid quickly got accustomed to the body he had just temporarily taken over. The eyes retreated backward into the dark until they were out of sight. The cellar door creaked back into place with more force than was necessary, and what sounded like a sigh echoed from behind the door.

It sounded like frustration, and it had been aimed not at Doflamingo, but at Kid.


	17. Possessive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for a non con chapter.

Law entered the master bedroom and looked around silently. The doctor thought that the sooner he found Crocodile's phone number, the sooner he could get Doflamingo to go away. Law really didn't like it when the other man decided to show up unannounced. It had led to several misunderstandings with other people who worked for Doflamingo. Even bystanders seemed to think something was up when the blond trailed after Law on occasion. Though that was mainly due to the older man being unable to get into contact with the doctor, and the blond making the decision to go check things out for himself. Law was rather tired of it after several years and some embarrassing moments. Only Doflamingo could get some business meeting about smuggling to sound like an invitation to something very, very different.

Law scowled at the empty desk where he'd been sure that he had left the phone number. The doctor tapped a hand against the chair in thought. Where had he put it? Law half turned at the sound of footsteps, but then tuned them out. He assumed that Doflamingo was just walking around and amusing himself with how empty the house was. Law turned to the closet as he frowned a little in thought. The dark haired doctor hoped that getting the job at the hospital would lead to less rumors. And that Doflamingo would ask less of him now that he had a legitimate job. Law didn't exactly want to compromise it by doing something illegal for the blond. Law still had to confront Doflamingo about the whole Bellamy thing. Because if it hadn't been for Kid being so fixated on him, Law was prepared to believe that Bellamy would have succeeded in killing him.

Law turned away from the closet as he decided that he would bring that particular conversation up before he shooed Doflamingo out of the house. That if Doflamingo ever wanted him to do something for him again, that it had better not ever be another assassination, due to what had happened with Bellamy. Law could live with doing occasional smuggling, if Doflamingo really couldn't find someone else to do it for him.

It took Law a little longer than he thought it would before he located where he had put the piece of paper with Crocodile's number on it. On top of his dresser for some reason. The surgeon had made sure to get it back from Ace, but that didn't necessarily mean that he remembered exactly where he'd put it. He'd still been a bit out of it at the time. Law reached out to pick it up, when he heard someone enter the room behind him. The footsteps halted, and Law withheld a sigh, "Can't you wait, Doflamingo-ya? This is technically my house while I live in it. Can't you give me some space?" Law knew that Doflamingo enjoyed teasing him on occasion, but this was getting a little ridiculous. The older man was usually a little better at respecting other's privacy.

There was a laugh at that, and Law thought that it sounded unlike Doflamingo's usual laughter. Before the doctor could question Doflamingo about why he wasn't leaving the room already, Law heard the footsteps come closer. Law felt the taller body of his boss bump up against him, and had no time to react when Doflamingo's arms suddenly encircled his waist. Law ground his teeth in irritation as he was pulled backward, and up against a large expanse of chest. Law placed his hands on the other man's forearms and set about trying to free himself of the sudden and unwanted embrace. This was exactly the kind of thing that Law hated.

Law let out a sigh of exasperation when he was unable to get Doflamingo to let go of him. The dark haired doctor slapped one of the forearms lightly. Really, Law wasn't at all in the mood for the blond to be toying with him, "Not funny, Doflamingo-ya. You being clingy like this is why rumors about us being together started in the first place. Keep your hands to yourself." The dark haired doctor shoved at the arms again for emphasis, to show that he didn't appreciate suddenly being trapped like this. Law fully expected to hear the blond laugh at him and let go, and follow the action up with teasing him good naturedly about being so serious about getting into physical contact with other people. Law knew that Doflamingo knew that he didn't ordinarily like to be embraced or touched in any way unless he made some indication that he wanted to be. And that was rare.

What Law hadn't expected was for Doflamingo's arms to tighten around his waist and for another rumble of laughter to emit from the blond. The doctor stilled a little, his hands still wrapped around one of the older man's arms in an attempt to get him to let go. Law scowled at the fact that Doflamingo wasn't listening to him, "Seriously, Doflamingo-ya, let go. I really don't want to have to kick you." And the doctor would, if he had to. Law felt another laugh against his back as Doflamingo held him even closer. Law had not anticipated this, but what completely floored him was for not the blond's voice, but Kid's, to issue from the man behind him.

"I'm not your boyfriend, Trafalgar. Well, I guess it _is_ his body." Kid found it bizarre that he was now comfortable enough in the blond's body that he didn't have to do much to get it to do as he wanted. The fact that Doflamingo had left off resisting the intrusive possession of the red headed ghost likely contributed to that as well. Either way, Kid now had a physical body to use to interact with the doctor, and he was going to damn well get to use it before he lost control over it. Kid winced when he felt Law's foot swing backward and come into contact with his shin, and he laughed a little as he urged Doflamingo's body down slightly so that the head rested on Law's right shoulder, "I don't know how he puts up with you when you act like this." Really, why was Law even bothering to try and wriggle free of the blond's arms? Where the doctor thought he could go, Kid had no idea. It wasn't like he would be able to outpace Doflamingo. The other man was far taller and bigger than the doctor as it was. Law wouldn't be able to get too far. Besides, Kid wasn't about to let him run now that he was finally, actually, able to touch him without making him faint. Kidd moved out of range of another kick, and decided that Law was just being an idiot.

Law felt one hand slip up beneath his shirt, and slowly caressed his skin as the large hand went up to settle around his throat in a loose but firm grasp. "What'd you do to Doflamingo-ya?" The dark haired man managed to ask, as he discreetly tried to remove Doflamingo's other arm from around his chest.  Law scowled a little at Kid's scathing response.

"Isn't it fucking obvious?" Kid grumbled as he put pressure on the arm around Law's chest to hold him more tightly against Doflamingo's.

"...I don't make it a habit of getting into sexual relations with my boss. And certainly not with a ghost that just decided to use the nearest body that was convenient." Law continued to try and free himself, despite the fact that Doflamingo's arm was settling more heavily over his chest to the point that it was almost painful. Law didn't like this one bit, and he had a terrible feeling about what was going to happen. But he didn't want to think about it. Not really. A ghost being real was one thing, but for a ghost to be able to...

"I thought you were supposed to be smart." Kid commented in a mocking tone, "I thought that I'd try to posses someone and see if it worked. Ghosts can do that, can't they?" It obviously had worked, since that was what Kid was currently doing with Doflamingo's body. It hadn't been as hard as the red head had thought it would be, and Kid felt that he still had some time before he would have to leave the blond's body.

Law bit his lip as the hand that wasn't currently wrapped around his throat trailed down his chest and then went lower. The dark haired man shivered a little. He dimly heard Kid chuckle darkly next to his ear, reminding the doctor that Doflamingo's head was still resting on his shoulder. Law desperately tired not to respond to the touch. He felt he'd made things worse for himself by informing Kid that he was dead. While that may have broken though the red head's delusional thinking, Law had expected Kid to leave him alone. To stop thinking that he was someone that he wasn't.

The dark haired doctor felt the arms rest tighter, and he shifted, distinctly uncomfortable with the situation he found himself in. Unfortunately, from the way that the red head was acting around him, it seemed that Kid was still fixated on him. And still thinking that Law was someone he wasn't, even when the red head knew the truth. Law certainly hadn't anticipated that Kid would decide to go a step further with his ghostly activity and possess his boss to make a move on him. Law closed his eyes briefly as the one hand trailed even further down, and dipped below the waistline of his pants. What the hell did Kid think that he was going to accomplish by forcing himself on him in this manner?

Law felt Doflamingo's hand move back up to fumble with his zipper, and Law dropped his hands to the blond's and growled, "Stop it." The hand left his throat, for which the doctor was grateful, but it went and wrapped around his wrists to hold them out of the way. Law made a disgruntled sound of protest as the other hand started to pull his pants down. Law tugged his hands in a futile attempt to free them and stop Kid from letting him do this.

Kid merely used Doflamingo's hand to pin Law's hands against his tattooed chest, to prevent him from making too much of a fuss.

Law continued to fight back anyway. He wasn't about to let Kid have his way so easily. Perhaps if he made too difficult, Kid wouldn't think it was worth it. And if Law kept it up, then maybe Kid would lose control over Doflamingo's body sooner. Law's arms strained against Doflamingo pinning them against his chest. If Kid did succeed in going through with his plan, it was only going to make it worse for the ghost. The only thing that a possessed Doflamingo raping him was going to do was to make Law try and figure out a way to get the red headed son of a bitch out of his life. As soon as Law recovered from the encounter. The large hand dipped further, trailing down his hip as the pants were pulled down further. Law's breath hitched a little as that large hand cupped him. Dammit. If he could have, Law would have killed Kid himself for the hell the red head had been putting him through. Law twitched. Why the hell was that bastard so damn horny even as a ghost? Law desperately tried to ignore the way Doflamingo's body was pressed up against him. In that he could tell what Kid thought about what was happening, due to the state the blond's body was in.

Kid felt Law shiver, and was pleased that he was getting some kind of response. Kid was satisfied that since he had possessed Doflamingo's body he had no trouble touching Law. Which meant that the other man shouldn't pass out on him. Kid shifted Doflamingo' body, and he grinned inwardly. Well, Law would be conscious until he was done with him, and from the feel of Doflamingo's body in an aroused state, Kid was going to enjoy this. The red headed ghost had Doflamingo grin eerily, even though he knew the doctor couldn't see, "I think _my_ Law might still be inside you somewhere, since both of you like big cocks." Doflamingo's body turned its head and nipped the doctor's ear lightly as Kid spoke again, "I'm a little disappointed that this bastard is so much larger than I am."

"Let go of me." Law's voice had taken on an icy edge as anger started to get the better of him. That Kid wasn't listening, or realizing, that the dark haired man had quite a problem with this. But no matter how much Law struggled, he couldn't escape from the crushing hold that Doflamingo held him in. The hand that held his arms against his chest rested a little more heavily, and the slight pain that it brought from being held in that way made it hard for Law to think. To protest. Law desperately wanted to tell Kid off. To tell the red head adamantly, over and over, that there was no other person in him other than himself, and certainly not whomever Kid wanted to see. But Law couldn't, and the dark haired doctor felt his anger continue to rise within him that Kid was forcing himself onto him again. And with his boss's body, of all people.

"I don't know how long I can remain in control of this bastard, so we're going to have to skip most of the foreplay and go straight to sex." Kid grinned as he pulled back with Doflamingo's body and caught sight of an indignant expression crossing Law's face. Kid laughed, "Don't act like you don't like that sometimes." Kid ignored any protests the doctor might have issued as he manhandled him onto the bed. The dark haired man immediately tried to throw himself off the bed, but Doflamingo moved to pin the doctor onto the bed on his back. Kid was pleased that the blond was taller by a foot or two, and was able to keep the dark haired man from fleeing immediately. Kid tipped forward and captured Law's lips in a demanding kiss as he went back to ridding the doctor of his pants the rest of the way.

Law's hands pressed up against Doflamingo's chest in a futile attempt to prevent Kid from progressing any further. The dark haired man couldn't get much leverage, as Doflamingo was leaning over and kissing him, and that made it a bit difficult to really shove the other man away. Law shuddered as a tongue flicked across his lips, and the doctor fought to keep his lips shut. He wasn't going to just go along with this. If Kid thought he was just going to give up and give in to the inevitable, then red head was more delusional that the doctor had imagined he was. The kiss was very distracting though.

In fact, all of it was very odd, since Law had to remind himself that it wasn't Doflamingo currently tugging his pants down, but Kid. And it wasn't Doflamingo that was trying to make him breathless with a kiss. Law shifted uncomfortably, because the kiss he was currently locked in was distinctly reminding him of the one time that Doflamingo had drank a little too much and planted him with a kiss on the evening of the new year. Of course, the blond didn't remember anything the next day, but Law sure as hell did. And since then, Doflamingo was more than likely very confused whenever Law turned down the invitation to go out drinking with him and some others.

Law tried to break out of the kiss, but one of Doflamingo's hands merely rested against the back of his head to prevent that. The dark haired doctor shoved his hands against the blond's chest again, and felt a laugh against his lips. Law resisted the urge to growl at Kid, knowing that that would only allow the red head to deepen the kiss, and further distract him. It irked the doctor to no end that red headed ghost seemed to have taken being dead in stride. Law didn't think that the whole possession thing should have been so easy for Kid to figure out. And for him to take advantage of it so soon. Law wasn't sure whether or not he was grateful that Kid hadn't tried to possess him.

Kid was inwardly annoyed with Law squirming and shoving his hands against Doflamingo's chest. Kid sighed irritably into the kiss, before he reluctantly drew away. He had hoped that the dark haired man would fight back, but the way he was going about it was rather sad and pathetic. With a shake of the blond's head, Kid used Dolfmaingo to flip Law over onto his stomach. The action was done with such ease that Kid had no trouble resting the taller man's weight against Law's back, before the doctor could even think to try and sneak away. Kid moved a hand toward Law's head as he growled, "Stop moving around so damn much." The red head hoped that the Law he knew _was_ in this one somewhere. Perhaps he had to do more to get through to him?

"Get off of me! Stop pulling me into your damn delusions! You're dead and whoever you are looking for isn't here! He isn't me! Leave me alone!" Law couldn't believe this. Kid still thought that there was some way for him to be someone he wasn't? If Law hadn't been so exasperated with the misinterpretation, he might have been interested in why Kid was so adamant about the idea. The dark haired man's words, however, unintentionally set Kid off. By making him think about the possibility that what he was doing would amount to nothing.

"Shut up!" Kid wrapped a hand around Law's throat and squeezed. Kid knew that he had made himself believe with absolute certainty that he had been alive for all of those years. However, Kid wasn't going to give up just because he was being told one thing over and over. It was too much for Kid to think that he would never see his lover again. Never be able to actually see or talk to him again. Be alone again for however the hell long he was going to hang about in this state. Kid didn't think that he would be able to handle the solitude. Wouldn't handle it. It was almost...terrifying to think about being alone again. To have no one around him but himself, going day to day with no one to see or speak to. Distressed sounds drew Kid's attention from his thoughts, and he quickly loosened Doflamingo's hold from around Law's throat, leaving the doctor to lay gasping and panting for air.

Kid narrowed Doflamingo's eyes as he reached down and carelessly tugged Law's boxers off. He'd already rid the dark haired man of his pants moments earlier before he's started thinking about things. Kid tilted Doflamingo's head, before he reached up and forced the shirt Law was wearing up and over his head. Kid tossed it aside, amused when he caught sight of the tattoo across Law's back. One long finger reached out to trace it absently, "I don't remember this one either." Kid's gaze slid down Law's spine, before he leaned over the dark haired man, who was still struggling for breath, "I like that one. Though I still think the death tattoos are the best." Kid used one of Doflamingo's hands to give Law's ass a squeeze, and grinned when it drew forth a flinch and a gasp, "You should get one down here too. Then I'd be the only one that gets to see it. After I rip off your clothes." Kid had made the decision to ignore the fact that the Law he was talking to wasn't his. That the red head still had some work to do to reach his lover, whom Kid was convinced was somewhere deep in the subconscious of this one.

Kid didn't wait for a response to his words, and instead used the body he was possessing to keep Law from rising. One hand held Law down by the base of his neck as the other hand maneuvered Doflamingo's body out of his pants. Kid had to glance down, as he was curious, and the red head grinned wolfishly at the sight, "I thought he was big, but damn, Trafalgar. I know you liked big dicks, but this one seems a little bit too large, even for your tastes." Doflamingo's tongue flicked out along the side of Law's neck as Kid muttered, "I suppose I like to be fucked roughly on occasion, so I could see you wanting to try it out sometime." Doflamingo's teeth grazed Law's shoulder in a light bite, and Kid's voice took on an almost playful, yet dark, tone, "I'm only disappointed that I couldn't join you two. We could've had a threesome, even if I would have been the one to come out being in the worst shape. Especially with the way you play, Trafalgar, when we did manage to get a third person to come to bed in the past with us."

Law tired to drag himself away, but with Doflamingo leaning over him with a hand down against the back of his neck, it didn't seem to be doing him any good. From out of the corner of his eye, Law spotted the possessed Doflamingo produce some lube from a pocket of his shirt. How the hell long had Kid been in Doflamingo's body to drop lube of all things into a pocket? Unnecessarily, the doctor realized that Doflamingo wasn't wearing his pink feathery coat before the doctor promptly remembered that he didn't have any reason to keep lube around the house. Shit. At that startling revelation, Law redoubled his efforts to wriggled free. Maybe he could hide under the bed or something until Kid could no longer retain control over Doflamingo. It was stupid idea, even in his mind, but it was the best the doctor could come up with at this point. Before Law could try to flee, Doflamingo's hand rested more heavily against his neck, almost as if Kid had anticipated what was going through the doctor's mind. Law could only squeeze his eyes shut when he felt wet fingers trail down the curve of his spine, and then dip lower.

Kid decided from the way that Law was reacting with the sudden intrusion of a lube covered finger that he was going to have to use a good amount of the stuff. More than he thought he'd need to. Kid pinned the doctor more heavily to the bed to stop him from dragging himself away, and the red head supposed that he would have to spend more time than he expected preparing Law. Otherwise Kid figured that they wouldn't be doing anything. Kid didn't care for the moment that some of Law's struggles were from the fact that Doflamingo's body was pressing him into the bed. Damn. Kid never had to deal with the doctor being so damn squeamish about the thought of having sex. Then Kid had to remind himself, again, that this wasn't his lover. At least, not yet. He needed to keep pushing to get to that point.

"Relax, you son of a bitch. I know you don't always wanna bottom but it'll just make it worse if you don't calm the fuck down." Not that Kid minded being a little rough with Law in those occasions. The red head never really knew when Law was going to be in that kind of mood, but he was more than happy to accommodate the doctor in those instances. He and his lover did like to try to one up each other in bed. The two of them got some sort of sick satisfaction out of it. Kid kept going as he more or less ignored the fact that Law still trying to move away. The only thing that was in the red head's mind was that this wasn't his own body that he was using, and Kidd was still a tad disappointed that he wasn't nearly as big as Doflamingo.

Law fisted the bed sheets beneath him at the distinctly uncomfortable intrusion that Kid was visiting on him. The red headed ghost was terrible at picking up on another person's body language. Kid was probably just ignoring him and doing what he wanted, and not giving any thought to how the doctor was feeling. Not noticing that he really, really didn't want to do this. And that he wanted the red haired ghost to remove Doflamingo's hand away from his body. Law tilted his head to the side so that he could glare at Doflamingo, and more importantly, at Kid, "Stop it already! Doflamingo-ya isn't my boyfriend. I don't want you to...!"

Law's words were cut off as the large hand went from his neck to his hair, and gripped it painfully to twist it to the side to bring the doctor in for a kiss. The act made Law unable to finish his sentence, and Kid decided that he was just going to ignore the fact that the doctor had been about to tell him that he didn't want to have sex. In Kid's mind, it just meant that he had to do more, in the hope of drawing his lover out of the one that was still issuing protests. Kid got some more lube and added a second finger, causing Law to mumble vehemently against Doflamingo's lips. Kid rather liked that the blond's bigger body made it easier for him to control the doctor's movements. Kid normally had to use some form of rope or handcuffs if his lover happened to be in a defiant mood, but still in the mood all the same. Damn. It drove the red head crazy when Law did that.

Law felt Doflamingo's hand in his hair tighten as Kid attempted to deepen the kiss. The dark haired man wanted to try and talk Kid out of this, but was finding it difficult with his lips occupied. The sensation of Doflamingo's fingers still thrusting in and out of his body with an almost lazy precision was distracting as well, as was the fact that he was starting to issue moans into the kiss. Which Law had tried to avoid, but a particularly rough movement from Doflamingo's fingers finally dragged the sound out of him. Law made a grunt of annoyance when Kid finally managed to get Doflamingo's tongue to slip into his mouth. Law squirmed a little bit, both to what Doflamingo's hand was doing, and to the fact that he'd forgotten that the blond's tongue was a little longer than most people's. Law made a muffled sound, but no words could be formed, and dark haired man figured that Kid didn't want for him to continue to deny wanting what he was trying to force onto him.

Law was also a little conflicted, but the doctor's mind came back online fully as Doflamingo removed his fingers and broke the kiss. Law couldn't stop letting out a brief gasp as the blond's body rested against his back.

Kid was amused with Law's reaction, and he pressed closer, "I would have liked to fuck you with my own body, Trafalgar, but I guess this works too. I can feel everything that I'm making this guy's body do." Kid leaned Doflamingo's head to the side so he could kiss the side of Law's neck gently, before he breathed against the skin, "I guess I get to see what it's like to have a bigger dick too." And he wanted to get to screwing Law sooner rather than later. Kid was going to drag out as many noises from the dark haired man as he was able to. To make him stop denying that he wanted it. Kid ran Doflamingo's hands along Law's hips.

Law's hands squeezed the bed sheets more tightly as he tried to drag himself away. He was especially motivated to try and make some escape attempt when he heard Kid going for more lube. As soon as Law felt just the tip of the blond's dick against him, he fought hard to get away. He didn't want Kidd to try and put any more of that anywhere near his body. Just that one nudge alone was terrifying enough as Law actively tried not to think of just how big Doflamingo was. Law didn't get very far as Doflamingo's hand merely pressed down against the back of his neck again.

"You're not going anywhere." Kid growled as he used Doflamingo's body to flip Law over onto his back again to face him. The red haired ghost had just about had enough of the doctor's pathetic attempts of escape. Why the hell wasn't he fighting back if he didn't want it? Kid had thought that using Doflamingo's body would have drawn out some furious response from his lover, whom Kid was convinced was somewhere in the doctor he had in bed with him right now.

Law quickly reached up and wrapped his arms around Doflamingo's neck while Kid's mind was preoccupied. Law pulled himself further up, where he clung tightly with no intention of letting go. He had nothing to protect himself with, but he was going to fight in any way he could, to prevent Kid from sticking Doflamingo's cock anywhere near him. Law knew it was probably a useless gesture, but he wasn't going to...Law let out a thin sound somewhere between surprised gasp and a moan.

Kid smirked as he had one of Doflamingo's hands engulf Law's pathetically limp dick, and started trailing the hand along it. Kid leaned the blond's head over and started to leave kisses along the dark haired man's throat. The red head was amused when Law unconsciously leaned his head to the side, despite the fact that he also tightened his arms around Doflamingo's neck. Kid ran the hand along Law's length again, squeezing lightly and drawing forth a squirm and a gasping groan from the motion. Kid licked his way along Law's neck, until he was able to capture Law's lips again. Kid smiled against the gasps and thin whines that issued from the doctor. Kid slipped some tongue in again, highly entertained that Law seemed to respond that time. Or maybe it was just because Kid had started working on his now almost hard dick. Kid chuckled into the kiss and spoke against Law's lips, "I knew you liked this kind of thing, Trafalgar. Stop acting like you don't." Kid cut off Law's response as he drowned him with another kiss.

Law was ashamed that his body was responding to this bizarre assault. The dark haired man was even more humiliated when he moved his body slightly in order to get Kidd to continue what he was doing with his hand. Like he had before, in the dreams.

Kid chuckled darkly at Law's response to his touch. Well, Doflamingo's. Whatever. "You're wasting both of our times by delaying this. I'm tired of it, and I don't wanna play anymore." The red head also didn't want to think anymore. Kid just wanted to move things along. He wanted his lover to surface somehow. To talk to him like he had in the past. Hell, even look at him like he used to, to let Kid know that it was him. To reassure him that he wasn't the only one who had ended up lingering on after death.

Law felt Doflamingo's other hand reach down and squeeze his ass. The dark haired man twitched but hung on grimly around Doflamingo's neck. At least, Law tired to, when the hand that was wrapped around his dick squeezed and thumbed the tip suddenly. Law's grasp immediately weakened as he let out another gasp, as it was just a little harder than what Kid had been doing before, and he hadn't expected his body to respond like that.

Kid slid the hand along again, until he felt that Law was distracted enough. Kid let go abruptly, and reached up with both of Doflamingo's hands to release Law's arms from their slackened grasp around the blond's neck. Kid realized that it wasn't exactly Doflamingo doing it to Law, but he thought that the dark haired doctor wouldn't mind it as much. Law could deny going out with the blond until he was blue in the face, but it didn't change Kid's opinions on it. Doflamingo had been far too friendly with the doctor to leave much room for other interpretations. He knew his Law could be ridiculously aloof when he wanted to be.

Law cringed as he dropped down slightly and came into contact with Doflamingo's cock. As one of Doflamingo's arms wrapped around his back to hold him against his chest, Law knew that there was no use delaying things anymore. The dark haired man braced himself against Doflamingo's chest as the blond's arm held him a little more tightly in order to prevent him trying to move away again. Law angled one of his hands so that it pressed harder against the blond's chest, "Stop it. Now."

"What? Don't start with that again." Kid let the arm rest more heavily against Law's back, "If you don't like it, do something about it. Or does it actually bother you when you have sex with this bastard?" Kid wanted some sort of resistance, but he did like the sensation of Law suddenly wrapping his arms around Doflamingo's back and digging his hands into the back of the blond's open shirt. Kid maneuvered the body a little as he kept a firm grip on the dark haired man, taking the doctor's action as a no.

Law winced and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Doflamingo's cock press up against him, before he felt it start to enter him bit by bit. Law clung to Doflamingo more tightly in an attempt to ignore the intrusion. There wasn't much he felt he could do at this point other than to give up and let Kid do as he would. Law knew that he wasn't going to muscle his way free, and drawing out what was going to happen was just more torture on his part. Not to mention Ace and Luffy might return before too long, and the position he found himself in would be very awkward to explain. Law did try one more time to protest, but ended up merely biting his lip in an attempt to keep himself silent as Kid impaled him halfway with Doflamingo's cock. Law couldn't help but let out a faint sound against the blond's chest.

"You never used to complain so damn much." Kid commented as he held Law more closely with Doflamingo's body. The red haired man pointedly put it from his mind that the dark haired man that he was holding wasn't his Law. Not yet. Kid felt Law move slightly down against his lap, and misinterpreted it as the doctor, and perhaps his lover, wanting him to get on with it already. Kid started to move Doflamingo's body as he growled delightedly, "You son of a bitch. Stop fucking with my mind." Kid had the blond kiss Law again, and grinned against the doctor's lips when he felt Law tentatively move his hips, moaning something unintelligible. Kid murmured breathlessly between kisses, "I love how hungry for cock you are, but I wanna hear you scream too, Trafalgar."

Law desperately fought to ignore the full feeling and sensation of Doflamingo moving in and out of him. The large hands lifting his hips. Law soon found it easier to concentrate on the pain rather than the thrusts that were causing it. Law dug his hands in more tightly to the back of the blond's shirt and tried very hard not to move or speak. The dark haired man wasn't sure if he would have just had embarrassing sounds dragged out of him.

"You're no fun, doc." Kid whined, disappointed with the lack of noises issuing from Law. Kid smirked all of a sudden as an idea came to him, and he laughed, "I know how to get what I want out of you, Trafalgar." Kid knew that his lover liked to make him scream out in pleasure, and not vice versa. Since his Law hadn't shown himself yet, the red head knew just what he was going to do to try and get a response. Kid turned his attention fully on Law, intent and very eager to get the doctor to emit that rare cry.

Now.

Law was shocked as Doflamingo's larger frame tipped them both over onto the bed. Law's grip in the blond's shirt tightened to the point of being painful as the doctor's back came into contact with the sheets, "Ah!" There was no holding back any cries now, even if the one Law had just made was more one of pain than anything. The new angle that Kid had put them in drove Doflamingo's cock deeper in than it had been before, and Law had been unprepared for the rush of pain that hit him. The dark haired man took several gasping breaths, shifting his body faintly in a futile attempt to readjust to the new angle. Law felt a little ashamed when he realized that he kind of liked the pain, and the fact that it was Doflamingo. Even though Law knew that it was Kid manipulating the blond's body, and that Doflamingo had no say in what was going on.

Law closed his eyes again as Doflamingo's body started to move, and the doctor tried to think of anything to distract himself from the feeling of being penetrated over and over. Law's hands dug in, and had Doflamingo's shirt been off, there would have likely been deep nail marks in his back from how tightly the dark haired man was holding on. Work. Law could think about work. Maybe a phone call would distract Kid. "Ngh." Law grimaced as Doflamingo bit the side of his neck, before continuing on with the intent of giving him a hickey. Law unconsciously turned his head to the side, attempting to let his thoughts wander even more. Had he given Monet the folder to file for the patient he'd seen the day before? Had he made sure to find out who had been giving Shachi all the extra work? Had Law made sure that Ace didn't have access to the flamethrower he had out in the shed? Law couldn't remember. A particularly slow and deep thrust brought Law's thoughts to a screeching halt.

"Don't start getting lost in you thoughts, doc. Pay attention to me, even if I am in someone else's body." Kid snapped, displeased when he noticed that Law appeared to be trying to ignore what was going on. Kid didn't want that. He wanted the dark haired man to fight back. To have his lover show some kind of sign that he was there. That he knew what was going on. Kid wanted to see that gleam in the other's eyes that would let him know that it was his lover that was looking back at him. And promising with that look that he was going to get him back for using this son of a bitch blond to get through to him.

Law didn't have much luck trying to hold back moans and gasps, and his mind was soon drowned in rough thrusts, bites and nail scraping. All of the sensations that were being piled on him at once was a bit too much for the doctor to handle, especially when one of Doflamingo's hands dipped down and roughly started to pump him until he couldn't hold back any longer. Law really did let out the scream that Kid had wanted to hear when Doflamingo came deeply within him. It was a sound of pleasure and pain intermixed with one another. Law faded out a little from all of the extra stimulation, until he fell down from the high, and realized what had just happened. Law because acutely aware of Doflamingo's dick still buried inside him, the blond breathing heavily in exertion. At least Kid had had the presence of mind to not let all of Doflamingo's dead weight collapse onto him. Law held perfectly still as the blond pulled out and flopped to the side, looking as exhausted as Law felt. The dark haired man dimly wondered if it had anything to do with the effort that Kid was making in possessing him. Law could only imagine how invasive it was, to have another person in your body.

Law grimaced as he settled on his side shakily. The same could be said for what had just happened to him. Law made an inarticulate grunt of protest, but could only weakly push a hand against the arm that looped around his waist and brought him up against Doflamingo's chest. Law stopped fighting when he noted that he was only wasting what little energy he had left. His aching body was obviously in need of rest, so Law didn't bother to try and continue to get away. The dark haired man closed his eyes and slumped against the bed a little more heavily as he went completely limp. Law felt the sheets tugged up over his waist, and heard Kid's voice mutter near one of his ears.

"I can't hold on to your boyfriend for much longer, so I'll see you later."

Law was too exhausted and sore to bother protesting the whole 'boyfriend' comment, and it didn't really seem to be useful anyway. Kid refused to listen to him in that regard, working under the impression that he was only lying to him. Law began to doze off, and could only hope that he would wake up before Doflamingo did. Waking up like this was just something that Law didn't know, or want, to figure out how to explain. Especially if Doflamingo woke up in bed with him half naked and didn't remember anything while Kid had possessed him.

-x-

Kid went down to the living room, and settled on the couch. He lay there, motionless, and closed his eyes. The red haired ghost hadn't realized how exhausting it was to possess someone living. Or that he would get so tired when was dead. Kid felt that he had used up a lot of energy that he had gotten earlier that day harassing Luffy and Ace.

Later Kid would contribute the lack of energy to be the reason that he didn't notice the cellar door open.

Kid kept his eyes closed, but he could almost feel a cool pocket of air, not unlike his own when he went lurking around the house to follow Law around. But why did it feel cold to him...The red head frowned. No, the closer it got, the warmer it felt. Maybe it was just how he recovered his energy as a ghost? Kid furrowed his brow. Was that a voice he was hearing? It couldn't be Doflamingo or Law, as both of them were passed out in the master bedroom. Kid listened a little more closely. Most of it seemed inaudible, but Kid's lips twitched in a small smile when he thought he heard the faint echo of his lover's voice speak to him.

_'You're such an idiot, Eustass-ya.'_

"Am I? I'm not the one that isn't around." Great, Kid was dead, and a ghost, and he was hallucinating and starting an argument with his lover, whom he had no idea if he was still lingering in this world as well. Kid kept his eyes shut. He'd take what he could get.

_'Because someone is, again, being an idiot and not paying attention.'_

"Shut up! You're just being a stubborn son of a bitch and not showing yourself. You shouldn't be so damn hard to reach."

_'It wouldn't be so hard if you actually paid attention to your surroundings better.  I didn't think you were this dense.'_

"What the fuck do you mean?" Kid heard a soft sigh, but otherwise there was no forthcoming response. Kid wasn't surprised. He was clearly imagining things anyway. The red haired man rolled over. The afterlife was weird as hell, and Kid felt he needed to do something before he went completely insane. But first, he needed to recover his depleted energy.

The cellar door closed with a little more force than it had in the past, and had Kid been listening, he would have heard a very familiar voice cursing him for being so dense.


	18. Decisions

Doflamingo wasn't quite sure when and why he had fallen asleep. He had been positive that he had been waiting for Law to go and get Crocodile's phone number.  And then there had been an overwhelming cold, which seemed out of place in the house.  And then there was that odd voice in the back of his head along with that frigid cold.  It was almost familiar sounding, in a way, and Doflamingo wondered if...

The blond haired man pushed the thought aside for now.  No, now wasn't the time to think such thoughts.  Doflamingo yawned and snuggled closer to a heat source that he had an arm wrapped snugly around. Maybe he had ended up sprawled out on the doctor's couch because he had been taking too long. Doflamingo frowned a little when what he thought was a pillow he was clinging to moved. That didn't seem right, and neither did the fact that what he thought was an inanimate object appeared to be breathing. Doflamingo's eyes slit open to squint in confusion, and the blond realized several things in that moment.

One, he wasn't on the couch, but in a bed.

Two, one of his arms was looped around not a pillow, but another person. That person being Law, who didn't appear to be very pleased to be squished up against Doflamingo's chest.

And three, most importantly of all, Doflamingo noticed that he was half naked, as was Law, because of how close the blond had him pressed up against him. The older man did not recall consuming any amount of alcohol, so how he ended up in bed with the dark haired man was beyond him. The cold from before gave him ideas, but ideas he dismissed for the time being.  Doflamingo blinked dazedly, but had enough sense to immediately let go of Law, as the dark haired doctor had just pointedly jabbed his forearm.

Law winced and turned over so that he could eye Doflamingo silently. The other's pale eyes were blinking at him in utter confusion, and Law sighed, shifting uncomfortably, "You're back to normal? Do you remember anything?" Whatever normal happened to be for the other man. The dark haired doctor narrowed his eyes when he saw Doflamingo open his mouth to respond. Law was merely warning Doflamingo silently in advance to not say anything about his current condition. Especially since he had noticed a smile threaten to surface at how the two of them had woken up. Law was simply not in the mood for any kind of teasing, and that sure as hell looked like what the older man had been about to do.

Doflamingo wisely noted the expression and didn't say anything of Law's obvious discomfort. He could guess what had happened, even as memory of the past hour or so began to come back to him, and he wasn't going to go there, "I was waiting in the living room." Doflamingo frowned the faintest amount, "It's hazy after that, until now." And it was beyond frustrating. There was something he couldn't quite remember, and Doflamingo figured that that was what had led to this...situation.  Again, the cold sensation was making him remember some things, but not enough to tell Law the truth.

The dark haired doctor wouldn't like to hear it.

Law relaxed minutely, even if he didn't like the idea that Kid could make someone forget what happened to them when he possessed them. That didn't seem like something the red haired ghost should have been able to do, "There's a ghost in this house that is fixated on me. He thought he would possess you, and he did."

Doflamingo looked back at Law, searching to see if the other man was joking. When he saw the serious expression, the blond frowned again. Doflamingo supposed that would explain the uncomfortable feeling he had when he was in this house. While Doflamingo would have loved to tease Law about the very idea of a ghost, the older man held off for the time being. The doctor's expression had taken on a bit of a murderous look, as if he still expected that very thing from him.

Doflamingo held back any retorts that may have set the other man off and languidly rose out of bed. The blond reached down to retrieve his pants, and after straightening, spotted the scrap of paper with the number on it. Doflamingo reached out and slipped it into his pocket, before he turned in time to see Law, who had thrown on some boxers, have trouble retrieving his pants as he hobbled toward them.

Law caught sight of Doflamingo's questioning look, and spoke coolly as he managed to pull on the pants, "...The ghost liked your body."

Doflamingo grinned at that, "I like my body too." The older man held up his hands in a placating gesture at the icy glare aimed his way, "I'm going. I'll make sure Crocodile doesn't try and hike up the price of rent too much. Just keep that kid from calling him or harassing him again."

"Fine..." Even though Doflamingo hadn't actually been the one to force himself on him, Law didn't want the older man to be in the house any longer. The blond obviously picked up on this, as he immediately headed for the open bedroom door. Law followed along after Doflamingo as they made their way to the front door. All the while Law was pointedly trying to ignore his limp and the fact that his body ached horrendously after Kid had had his fun with Doflamingo's body. Law glanced around as he walked, as if he expected to see the red head. But there was nothing there, and the dark haired doctor could only hope that the act of possession had somehow tired Kid out, and would keep him away from him for a day or two.

Doflamingo reached the front entry, and retrieved his pick feathery jacket. He didn't recall leaving it there, but he wasn't about to think much about it. There was something going on in this house, and he didn't want to stick around to see if anything else happened.  Even if he had an inkling as to what exactly was going on. He guessed he ought to try and get Law to leave, but since the other man hated anyone trying to get him to do something, he would have to go about it discreetly. Doflamingo headed for the front door, deciding he would hold off on that for a few days to allow Law to calm down. Doflamingo could tell that Law was uncomfortable around him, and the blond wasn't surprised, especially if what the doctor had said had been true about what the ghost or spirit or whatever had done with his body. "I'll call if Crocodile has any other issues. Or if I need you to do something."

"No more assassinations, Doflamingo-ya. Bellamy almost killed me because he'd been ready for a fight, and I had to deal with him head on."

Doflamingo cast a look over his shoulder, his normal grin in place, "That's surprising. I thought you'd be fine dealing with that fool." The blond laughed at the death glare sent his way as he opened the door, "Fine. I won't send you on them without someone else going along. I doubt there'll be any more any time soon. I might want you to smuggle something in a few months, however..."

"Weren't you leaving, Doflamingo-ya?"

With another chuckle, this one of amusement, Doflamingo left the house. Someone wasn't too happy, and while he would have liked to question Law more about the so called ghost, the blond liked the idea of keeping his head on his shoulders. He knew that Law could be incredibly nasty if pushed too far, and Doflamingo wasn't about to get into a fight with the dark haired man for something stupid that could be prevented. The blond headed for his car, and put the incident to the back of his mind. Doflamingo did, however, decide that he was going to never step foot in that house again if he could help it.

Law watched Doflamingo leave, and just as he was about to shut the front door, Ace and Luffy returned. That was close. The dark haired doctor would have likely shut himself away from the world if the two teens had caught a possessed Doflamingo having sex with him. Law stepped aside as Luffy shot past him and raced up the stairs, looking excited about something. Law shook his head as he limped away to the living room. He wasn't going to ask. He'd learned to not question the younger teen's actions, since there wasn't much he could do to stop the teen from accomplishing whatever it was he happened to decide to do.

Ace watched the dark haired surgeon limp into the living room, and frowned at the sight. Law had been fine when they left. Had something happened? The older teen started after Law, and as he passed the mirror in the front hall, he could have sworn he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Ace didn't bother turning to look, as he wasn't actually wanting to catch sight of the ghost that was in the house. Instead, Ace narrowed his eyes at the thought that the ghost was nearby, before he continued on to the kitchen. Ace actively avoided looking at any mirror or reflective surface, since he had begun to feel a slight chill. He wasn't going to acknowledge the ghost, but he wondered if the red head had anything to do with why Law was limping so badly.

Ace snagged something to eat as well as a can of pop, before he went to join Law in the living room. The chill in the air had followed him, but Ace ignored it as he sat down on the couch. If he had looked up at the small mirror in the corner of the room, Ace would have noticed Kid standing nearby and watching him with narrowed, unfriendly eyes. Ace lounged back on the couch and cracked open the soda. He took a few sips as he silently watched Law pour over some documents, most likely from the hospital. The dark haired man was shifting around occasionally as if trying to find a comfortable spot. Ace looked away, "You know, you should do something about your unwanted ghostly admirer." Ace chanced a look at Law, and smiled faintly at the sight of the doctor throwing a brief, harassed look at him before going back to his papers. Ace leaned back comfortably on the couch, "I could get into contact for someone that works for Pops."

"Whitebeard? Have you met him before?" That got Law's attention, and he relunctantly gave Ace his attention. It wasn't like he could actually concentrate on the papers from the hospital with the way his ass was so sore that he couldn't even sit down without it hurting. Hearing the freckled teen talk about something, anything, was just another distraction that would help him not think about the state of his body.

Ace nodded, not aware of just how uncomfortable Law really was, "Yeah, three years ago. He said that if I wanted a place to stay other than with Garp, I'd have to be eighteen. That's how old you need to be to either work for Pops or rent an apartment from him. If you have some money. I've heard the rent is pretty cheap, even more if you work for him..."

"What kind of job?" Law questioned as he continued to try, and fail, to find a comfortable position to sit in.

"That doesn't matter right now. I just know of someone that works for him that might be able to deal with the ghost or spirit in this house." Ace shrugged as he took a drink from his pop. He'd actually talked to the guy the other day, when Luffy had gotten shoved off the second floor by Kid. The other man hadn't exactly seemed to believe him that there was an actual ghost in the house, and Ace guessed it hadn't helped that he'd set fire to the other man's car when he'd first met him. Only because Ace had thought that he had insulted him when the other man had only been attempting to explain something to him.

"...I thought that you didn't believe in ghosts." Law commented as he gave up and decided that no matter how he sat, he was going to be sore. And that he really wasn't in the mood to be looking at anything for work at the moment. He didn't particularly want to talk about Kidd either, but Ace seemed to be going somewhere with the conversation.

"I changed my mind after something went after Luffy and shoved me."  Ace commented as he gripped the soda can tightly.

"Still upset?" Unnecessary, but Law felt compelled to ask anyway, even though Ace's expression alone was all the answer he needed.

Ace nodded, his expression darkening at the thought of what had happened, "Want me to give the guy a call?" The older teen could tell that the doctor was hesitant to reach out for help, from the way he looked uncertain. Ace was silent as he noticed Law wince again, before he added, "I doubt that you want to put up with whatever abuse that ghost is laying on you, right?"

"Who would you be calling?" Law agreed with the fact that he did not like at all that Kid was just doing whatever the hell he pleased with him, whenever he felt like it. It had to stop, and if someone else could do it, he would give it a try.

Ace offered a slight grin as he stood up and headed out of the living room, "Marco. I'm sure he will explain what he does if he agrees to come over."

-x-

Kid did not like the sound of the conversation between Ace and Law. He'd been lurking just outside of the living room, listening to the two talk to one another. While Kid would have liked to linger in the living room with Law, he wanted to see what the freckled brat was going to say to this Marco person. The name was unfamiliar, so it was unlikely that it was another person from Kid's past.

Kid stopped just outside the teenager's bedroom, and listened in on Ace's call. Kid clenched a fist as the conversation went on, and the red head grew increasingly angry when it was clear that Ace wanted this Marco person to get rid of him. To either get him out of the house or make him leave this plane of existence. Kid didn't want that. He wanted to stay and keep pushing Law further and further to see if his lover was there inside him. Kid backed away as he turned toward the stairs. Kid couldn't move on until he'd seen _his_ Law again.

Until they were together again.

The red haired ghost drifted back downstairs after he had sneered over his shoulder at the room the teens were in. Not that they saw him do it, but it made him feel better. Kid had thought that he wouldn't have to do anything about the teens other than to wait for them to leave. They weren't going to be there much longer anyway, but the older one had crossed the line with all the talk of getting rid of him. It was no longer the case of just waiting for the teens to be out of his life. Kid was going to have to do something after all to prevent anyone from separating him from Law.

And Kid knew just the thing to do, before anyone could even get over to the house to 'deal' with him.

-x-

This was getting ridiculous. It was one thing that Kid was oblivious to begin with, but for the red haired man to actually believe that there was someone else in that doppelganger was bordering on idiotic. The presence in the basement managed to manifest itself through sheer willpower, and it bore a striking resemblance to the dark haired man currently in the living room.

Trafalgar drifted up the stairs to take in what was going on, and he crossed his arms as he leaned up against the wall next to the small door that led to the cellar. The dark haired ghost watched disinterestedly as the other him settled on the chair more heavily. Trafalgar smirked briefly. It seemed that _someone_ wasn't used to having sex very often. It had surprised him to see Doflamingo enter the house, and while he admired Kid's twisted idea of using the blond to 'draw' him out of the other Law's body, Kid had been lucky that he hadn't.

The dark haired ghost loathed Doflamingo with a passion, and had it been him that Kid had forced the blond on, Kid would have found the body he was using to soon be incapacitated and unusable. Trafalgar supposed that it had been a good idea to use Doflamingo, if only he'd actually been in the other man. While Trafalgar loved his red haired lover and his usually one track mind, it could be quite exasperating to deal with. It seemed that all of that time alone had made Kid shut anything out around him that would potentially interfere with him trying to find him.

Trafalgar settled more heavily against the wall as he watched Kid. He'd been watching his actions ever since the red haired man had died. And as time went by, Trafalgar only grew more frustrated. The frustration hadn't been there much before, but as soon as that doppelganger and the two teens had moved into the house, everything had gone to hell, along with his patience. The dark haired ghost was pleased that Kid had finally realized he was dead, and had been for some time, and that the red head was sure to finally see him. However, Trafalgar hadn't anticipated that Kid would go after, and continue to go after, the man that looked exactly like him.

Trafalgar shook his head in disgust. Why couldn't Kid see that there was no one else inside the other Law? Why couldn't he see _him_? He'd been trying fruitlessly to get the red haired man's attention, but Kid took up so much energy and lorded over the house that he couldn't work up enough to manifest before him. Trafalgar turned away from the sight of Kid approaching the other Law on the couch. While he would have liked to watch the fun, Kid's presence had become too overwhelming for him to remain manifested with the energy he had managed to take in that day. Kid's lover vanished from view, but the faint presence lingered, just behind the broken down boiler in the cellar.

Waiting, as Kid had waited, for the red head to realize that he had been in the house all along. That Kid had never been as alone as he had thought, if he'd only looked a little more closely, and listened to the visions that Trafalgar had been implanting in his mind. The faint touches he'd managed in an attempt to get Kid's attention, with what little energy Trafalgar had gleaned for a particular day.

The dark haired ghost knew that sooner or later Kid was going to get the attention of someone who might actually be able to harm even a spirit, and knew he'd have to keep an eye on him. Especially now that Kid had possessed someone. That always seemed to catch someone's attention, and Trafalgar could only hope that it wasn't anyone that could actually harm his idiotic lover.

So he waited to see how recent events would play out.

Trafalgar's eyes darkened in the gloom of the cellar, unseen. Both of them had waited a long time to find one another. He wasn't going to lose his lover without even being reunited with him. The odds had been stacked against them in the past, and it had taken a lot of work to draw Kid to him, and only him.

He wasn't about to lose that.


	19. Out of Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some chapters will be more heavily edited than others. As it is a massive fic, I wanted to try and fix whatever pacing issues there may be, but with the amount of information being given, I'll see how I do. I want to get the rest of this fic up so it is all here on this site. I can always go back and fix some chapters again.

Marco wasn't quite sure what to think of the call he'd just received. He hadn't seen or heard from Ace in some time, so it was odd that the teenager would suddenly call him out of the blue. And all the talk of ghosts and hauntings he'd been brought up to speed on...Marco turned away from the phone and headed into his room. He may as well check things out, as Ace had sounded like he truly believed there was something going on in the house that he was staying in that he couldn't explain.

Marco stared off into space as he pondered. He highly doubted that Ace would be trying to waste his time, and Marco knew that the teen didn't normally reach out for help unless he honestly had no idea how to handle whatever situation he was in. Marco was briefly distracted when someone cursed in the next room over, along with the sound of something thudding on the ground with a loud and audible crack. Two voices accompanied the cursing, one feminine and questioning, the other masculine and exasperated.

"You know that that's really expensive equipment, right?"

"Dragon lent those to us. Be more careful with them."

Marco shook his head at the gruff, growling expletive from the third person in the room.

"Fuck off. The damn thing slid outta my hands!"

Marco shut his bedroom door. Perhaps he should have told the other two to find someone less temper prone to help them with their work. It couldn't be good for all of the breakable equipment the two used. Their presence had been unexpected, as was the fact that he was going to want them to come along with him. It was a surprise that another person had shown up at his house not too long ago. Marco turned to the woman that was in the room with him and shrugged in a show of apology, "I didn't realize they'd show up like this.  Will their presence be a problem for you?"

The pink haired young woman shook her head, "I knew they were going to be here. Just as I knew that you were going to contact me before you did."

Marco studied the woman before him silently while he let out a slow sigh. Psychics, and a psychic medium, at that. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but Perona had seemed to be insistent over the phone to join him in going to the house Ace currently lived in. That she had called and come over before Ace had even contacted him made Marco more likely to go over to the house. He'd worked with Perona before, and knew that she was the real deal, if a little odd to most people.

"I sense an unease in the air. The spirits are restless. Something is happening, soon. We should leave before too long."  Perona smoothed her skirt out as she stared out the bedroom window, presumably at something only she could see.

Marco turned away to rummage through some drawers. Nope, while he was somewhat sensitive to spirits himself, Perona was on a whole other level than he was.

Another crash rang out, and despite the closed door, the muffled voices of the three other people in the house was clear.

"Shit!"

"Oh dear, that one was worth a few hundred dollars."

"And you're going to be paying it back."

"...Fuck."

-x-

Ace was relieved that it sounded like Marco would come over, if only to humor him. The other man was still obviously upset about the freckled teen's arsonist activities. Ace absently set his cell phone on his desk, and guessed that he would have been angry if a very expensive and rare car went up in flames for no apparent reason.

And continued to slowly burn until it reached the gas tank.

Ace glanced across the room, and smiled faintly at the sight that greeted his eyes. His younger brother certainly could sleep in odd positions. Ace wandered over to where Luffy was snoring upright in a chair, half hanging off of it.  Ace's gaze fell over the desk in front of his brother. The gold coins were laid out, and there were some scribbles on scraps of paper. A pen was laid across one of them, so that was the one that Ace picked up. He highly doubted that Luffy had enough focus to do research, and Ace was proven correct as soon as he read the small piece of paper. It almost sounded as if it were addressed to someone:

_I can see you, I_ _overhead you,_

_and I know what you're going to do._

_If you continue to interfere..._

The writing grew rougher, and Ace had to squint in order to make it out:

_...I'll see to it that you all die._

A whisper of a voice sounded close to Ace's ear the moment the teen set the paper back on the desk.

_'I'm merely disappointed that I won't be the one to do it, but I'll enjoy watching the show.'_

Ace felt a cold chill race down his spine at the barely-there words, and twitched when what felt like a hand brushed up against his pant's pocket, where the ring from weeks ago was still there. The cold almost immediately vanished, but the voice that Ace had heard made him head for the door without a word. The older teen felt that he should let Law know that he'd just heard a voice remarkably similar to the doctor's own but for the icy and sinister tone it had held.

Ace had never believed in ghosts, but this house and its touchy-feely, ghostly inhabitants were quickly making a believer out of him.

-x-

Trafalgar smirked crookedly at the way that the teenager, Ace, had reacted to his presence. Contrary to what he had believed earlier, the dark haired ghost was able to save up some energy to interact with the physical world. As soon as he had realized Kid's intent was the removal of the teens from the house, Trafalgar desperately wanted to find some way to assist him. It really was no fun to be left out of the games his lover decided upon. The ghostly doctor drifted nearer to Ace, who, apart from an odd shudder, didn't react to his presence this time.

Trafalgar frowned at this. Apparently he wasn't at a high enough energy level now for the teen to really notice his presence, and Trafalgar knew that there was no way he was capable of possession at this point in time. Kid took in too much of the house's energy, mainly due to the fact that the house was originally his, and therefore his ties to it were much stronger than Trafalgar's own, as he'd merely been a semi-permanent visitor.

The dark haired ghost's smirk returned. Even if he couldn't possess anyone, if Kid did, he could try and assist his lover in the removal of the irritating teens and their interfering antics. While it was mainly the older one, Trafalgar preferred for both of the teens to be out of his life...afterlife...or whatever the state he was existing in would be considered.

Ace made it to the stairs, and Trafalgar continued to follow, invisible, and caught sight of what was happening on the first floor. His smirk morphed into a dark smile, and he just loved the way that Kid had decided to deal with the intruders in his home.

Trafalgar really was quite disappointed that he couldn't do too much, but he had decided he couldn't miss the sight of his lover causing some mayhem with his newly discovered state of being. Trafalgar's lips curled. It was...fun. A fun that the dark haired ghost hoped that he could soon be able to participate in when Kidd finally noticed his presence.

Trafalgar had a lot of plans, and while many of them involved his red haired lover, the dark haired ghost also wanted to deal with his doppelganger. It was Trafalgar's ultimate goal for both he and Kid to be able to possess people at the same time. Trafalgar's smile stretched at the thought.

And that would be when the real fun began.

-x-

Law knew that he had a lot of work to catch up on before he returned to the hospital the next day, but he hadn't even begun to recover from the abuse that Kid had put him through with Doflamingo. The dark haired doctor briefly closed his eyes to rest them, trying to decide what to do for the remainder of the day. Rest was an obvious thing, but so was making sure everything was in order for the next day. Law nearly groaned when he felt the temperature of the living room drop, signaling to the dark haired man that Kid had decided to pay him a visit. It was far too soon, and the red haired man's advances on him were never going to be welcome. No matter how much Kid thought that the man he knew was somewhere inside of him.

Law took in the immediate area with a few tired blinks of his eyes after he'd opened them. Law relaxed minimally when he realized that the red head hadn't decided to manifest before him. _That_ had been startling the first several times, and even when it no longer was, the sight of Kid standing in a room and normally glowering at him wasn't something Law wanted to get used to either.

The dark haired doctor decided that if Kid were going to just linger and try to freeze him, that he had no interest in staying in the living room and taking that kind of abuse. As soon as Law attempted to rise, however, a frigid cold suddenly rushed over him, and the doctor found that he couldn't move. At all. Law stained to take a shaky step toward the front hall, but no matter how much he tried to, he couldn't get his body to listen to him. A panic set in at this realization, and Law hadn't been at all prepared to hear Kid's voice mutter in his mind, instead of the usual echo.

' _It's too bad that brat can't mind his own damn business.'_

The sensation of being out of control of one's body made any rational calm Law may have had shatter, and was beside himself with terror when he felt his own hand move, and not of its own volition.

If he could have said something, Law was ashamed to think that he would have either screamed in protest or swore at Kidd. Especially when he felt his own hand trail up beneath his shirt and scrape along the skin.

_'Such a shame you still act like you don't know me.' We could have been having a lot more fun.'_   The hand trailed higher, which caused Law to panic despite not being able to do a damn thing about the movement. _'But maybe you'll stop pretending after this.'_   The hand withdrew after a moment, a little reluctantly. Somehow, like Doflamingo before him, Kid was possessing Law's body and forcing it into movement.

Law was disturbed that he could actually feel every movement as if it were his own, even though he wasn't the one currently moving his body. That alone was terrifying, and Kid didn't seem to be aware of just how panicked Law really was. The red haired ghost had something else in mind entirely as he forced Law's body into movement.

_'Don't struggle too much. There's something I wanna have you do right now, Trafalgar.'_

Law was trapped, and there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as things unfolded before him.

-x-

Kid laughed delightedly at Law's response to being out of control of his body. It was quite different than with Doflamingo, who hadn't protest too much once he realized Kid's intentions. The red haired man had almost laughed when the blond had flat out lied to Law about not remembering anything. Kid knew that the son of a bitch had enjoyed letting the red head use his body to fuck Law, and Doflamingo didn't seem too disturbed that he was out of control of his body. Kid supposed he could appreciate the twisted mind of the man, even if he hated Doflamingo's guts for resembling the same man that had, in the past, did his best to try and tear Kid and Law apart from one another.

To distract himself from those unpleasant memories, Kid used Law's own voice to whisper to him, and felt the other man's panic rise, even though Law couldn't say anything in protest. "Don't fight it. I know you love killing as much as I do." Kid laughed, a little psychotically, and it was the laugh of a man who was looking forward to spilling some blood after such a long time. Roughing someone up a bit during sex was far different than slicing a person up with the intent to kill.

Kid pointedly ignored Law's sudden mental protests as he headed to the kitchen, and scanned the area, before his eyes settled on something. Kid smiled.

A big butcher knife from the cutting block would do quite nicely for what he had in mind.

-x-

Ace was halfway down the stairs when he spotted Law heading toward him silently, his head lowered and looking at the ground. Ace felt an unexplained chill race up his spine before Law even touched the first stair step. When Law's head slowly lifted to look at him, Ace's feelings were justified. Law looked as if he'd lost his mind with the uncharacteristically wide smile stretched across his face. He also happened to be brandishing a very large knife from the kitchen. Ace reacted a tad too slowly as he backpedaled backwards, and if he hadn't been so distracted by Law moving forward to attack him, he would have noticed a faint presence shove hard against his back to impede him.

Trafalgar was there, and he was trying his hardest to phase his actions into the world around him, and just barely managed to pull Ace off balance and make the teen miss the stair he was back-stepping on to. The dark haired ghost smirked as his lover, possessing the other Law, took the presented opportunity and swung the knife in a short arc.

Ace caught himself on the stairway railing, but couldn't move himself out of the way in time to avoid being struck. Ace winced and bit his lip against the pain of his left ankle being given a shallow gash by the wickedly sharp knife. It could have been worse. Ace twisted to the side to avoid another stab, but wasn't prepared for what felt like a shove in the back that sent him toward the knife.

Law grinned as he whipped the knife to make contact with the teen's stomach.

Ace threw out his hands and managed to seize the doctor's arm, somehow managing to angle the blade away from himself. The action caused both men to be thrown off balance, and they both took a tumble down the stairs.

Momentarily winded, Ace was the first to recover. He didn't bother to continue the fight since Law seemed to be out of his mind. The older teen needed to wake Luffy up and get to his cell phone. Marco needed to get to the house sooner, it seemed. Ace didn't like that Law was acting like a psycho out of a horror movie. It wasn't at all like the surgeon. It was as if he had a completely different personality.  The moment Ace saw Law beginning to rise with the knife in hand, Ace went for the stairs, intent on getting to Luffy, and quickly.

Ace managed to get close to the stairs before a sharp, burning sensation sliced across his back. That didn't seem right, and neither did stumbling forward a few steps, and then collapsing. The warmth trailing down his back made Ace realize that Law had just succeeded in injuring him with the knife, and the older teenager was concerned that he couldn't tell how deep the cut had been. It had to have been quite a lot of damage, because Ace was finding that he was having trouble rising. A cold touch that trailed along his wound didn't help at all, and Ace had to bite his lip again to stop from crying out at the cruel, almost precise touch. The agony that crashed through Ace's body threatened to keep him down, as did the cold touch that had settled there, but Ace fought it back stubbornly. He needed to get to Luffy, before Law could.

"I think I'll come back to finish you off. I'll take care of your little brother first."

Even though it was Law's voice, the inflections sounded wrong. Ace didn't want to think about possessions, but there wasn't any other explanation for Law's behavior. Only be one person could be responsible. Eustass Kid. The ghost in the house. Ace lifted his head as he propped himself up on one arm, "Leave my brother alone!" Ace snarled through the pain, and threw himself forward in order to grapple Law's legs. He had to stop him from getting up the stairs, though whether Marco was actually coming that day was debatable.

Kid was irritated with the older teen's persistence. He could have sworn that he'd landed a debilitating wound that should have kept the brat from getting up so soon. The red haired ghost snorted and used Law's body to kick at Ace in an attempt to dislodge him. The fool should have just given in to the inevitable. He was in no position to be doing anything to defy him. Kid was going to get them out, and if it was in body bags, that was fine with him.

Ace hung on to Law's legs grimly, and took the occasional blow when the dark haired man freed one of his legs to kick at him roughly.

"Hey! What're you doing?!"

Kid turned in time to see Luffy race down the stairs, raising a fist as if he were going to slug Law in the face. Kid laughed at the sight. The younger teen was crazy. He was throwing himself into danger, when the knife was quite clearly in his hand.

Luffy darted down the last few steps before he launched himself into the air at Law, and swung his fist hard, "Leave Ace alone!"

Kid seriously considered just stabbing Luffy for leaving himself wide open to attack, but decided that wouldn't be any fun. Kid wanted to drag this out for a little while longer. Kid leaned Law's body to the side, narrowly avoiding the teen's fist, and used the hand not holding the knife to seize the same arm. Kid swung Luffy aloft, and considered getting at least one stab in.

"Stop it!" Ace gasped, tugging at Law's legs and feeling frustrated with the weakness in his limbs. He couldn't tell how much blood he was losing from the slash across his back, but he couldn't stop. Ace watched in horror as Law tossed Luffy carelessly across the front hall with a lot more strength than the doctor should have had. Luffy hit the ground and lay near the wall, gasping for breath. "Stop!" Ace winced as one of Law's kicks connected with his head, and the teen lost his grip as the dark haired man began to make his way over to where his brother lay.

Ace shakily shoved himself to his hands and knees, before he stumbled upright to his feet, staggering a little as he forced his wounded body into motion to get to Luffy. Panic swept through the older teen as he watched Law angle the blade and make as if to swing it down at the prone Luffy. The sight made Ace push himself even more, and he lunged, narrowly managing to put himself between his brother and the knife.

Luffy let out a surprised gasp as a weight landed on him, and he twisted slightly, his eyes widening at the sight of the knife sticking out of his brother's back, "Ace!"

Ace lifted his head and managed a small smile, trying to make light of things, "What'd I tell you...about picking a fight with someone?"

"Make sure you know your opponent before you strike." Luffy responded, teary eyed as he wriggled out from beneath his brother and attempted to help him up. Ace tried to assist his brother, but with the knife in his back, he didn't get very far, and slid back to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Ace!"

"You brotherly bonding is pissing me off. Why don't the two of you just die together so you won't have to worry about a thing?" Kid looked around for another weapon that he could use, but guessed he'd have to just use Law's hands. Ace seemed to be in no position to resist anymore, and the younger teen wouldn't be any match for him. Kid started to head for the two teens, smirking a little at the sight of Luffy trying to protectively hide Ace from his sight. Fine. Kid would just deal with him first.

The front door being forced open changed his mind, and Kid turned Law's head in the direction to see who had dared to interrupt him. And stiffened in shock. A man was standing in the doorway that he had never wanted to see again.

Hawkins.

From the long haired man's expression, Kid was fairly certain that he could sense him, or at the very least realize, that he was possessing the dark haired doctor's body.

Next to the doorway to the living room, Trafalgar froze in place as Kid had. The ghost's eyes darted to the man in the front doorway's hands, and cursed inwardly. It seemed that his red haired lover had attracted the attention of someone who could very easily harm him after all. And there was absolutely nothing Trafalgar could do but wait and hope that Kid would survive his first encounter with a spell caster.

One who didn't appear to be very pleased with what he saw.


	20. A Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If I haven't noted it before: In text, Law is the alive Law, Kid is ghost!Kid, Trafalgar is ghost!Law and Eustass will be the alive Kid.

Law's eyes flashed dangerously at the sight of the long haired man with the tattoos across his brow. Kid hadn't liked the weird feeling he got when he'd been near the other man before. It had seemed as if Hawkins had been staring him down. Looking into his very being. Which was a very odd sensation. Kid narrowed Law's eyes. He wasn't an ordinary man, that was for sure. There was something that Kid could sense that he didn't like. It was odd, and the red haired ghost couldn't quite figure out why that was. It wasn't as if he feared the man, exactly. Hawkins hadn't even made a move yet other than just standing there and looking like an idiot anyway.

Law's visage took on an arrogant smirk. But it wasn't like the son of a bitch could actually hurt him since he was currently possessing Law. He'd only end up harming the doctor too. Law's smirk deepened as he locked eyes with Hawkins. Kid would just take the intruder down then and there, and go finish off the two teens, one of them already incapacitated as it was. Kid's problem would be solved, and he could go back to attempting to draw his lover out of the man he was currently possessing.

Hawkins showed no outward concern at the sight of Law starting to stalk toward him with a manic glint in his eyes. Hawkins merely dipped a hand into one of his pockets and drew forth a few slips of paper with symbols drawn onto them. With a few whispered words, Hawkins tossed them with a flick of his wrist in Law's direction, where four of the slips of paper stopped abruptly to hover in midair around the dark haired doctor.

Kid leered unpleasantly at the other man, even if he was inwardly wondering why the fuck the scraps of paper were floating in midair and not falling down. Kid hid his unease about thoughts of witchcraft and magic, and settled for laughing as he kept his eyes on Hawkins, "I think I'm gonna kill you too. I warned you to stay away, didn't I?" Kid urged Law's body forward, the crazed look intensifying, "I'll kill anyone who interferes."

Hawkins raised his hand out toward the hovering slips of paper around the possessed Law. The long haired man clearly felt it better to take care of things now before the spirit could become more violent than it already was. It appeared as if Hawkins wasn't going to waste his breath conversing with Kid at this point.

Kid heard the long haired man begin to mutter something, and twitched as the cards began to glow. A weird sensation washed over the red haired ghost, and he didn't like it one bit. It was an unpleasant, needling feeling.  "What the hell?" Kid tried to force Law's body toward Hawkins, but couldn't. The red head wanted to stop Hawkins before he could do anything more, but found that he couldn't move Law's body anymore.

"Release your hold over this man. That body is not yours to use as your own." Hawkins made a sharp gesture with his hand, and the cards flared even brighter, "Begone."

Kid made a choked cry of protest as he felt his hold over Law's body waver. Whatever the fuck that damn long haired bastard was doing was messing with his possession of the doctor. The slips of paper around him were letting off a strange, heavy aura, and when it swept over Law, Kid bit back an unneeded gasp of air as it seemed to settled around just him. It hurt. Whatever it was, it hurt. It hurt like hell. A searing wave of agony swept over Kid soon after, and it seemed to settle heavily around him, sapping away the red haired ghost's energy. The energy required to interact with, and sometimes possess, the living. Another wave of powerful energies struck him, and Kid was forced to leave Law's body before the now burning slips of paper could emit any more of the energy draining aura.

Kid stumbled just out of range of the now on fire and burning slips of paper. The red head cursed hoarsely as he blindly tried to get himself as far away from the source of pain as he could. The light the paper was emitting hurt just as much as when it'd been settled inside of him and Kid needed to get away from it.  He couldn't think straight around that light.

The red haired ghost drifted out of Hawkin's sight, and up into the master bedroom. Kid sunk to the ground weakly, and grit his teeth at the realization of the state he was in. Kid scowled, and wondered why he was feeling so shitty, even though he was already dead. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it had, but the bizarre attack that Hawkins had launched against him had left him drained and exhausted. Kid glared at the bedroom door. That long haired man was dangerous, using weird magics and tricks like that.

Kid sincerely hoped that Hawkins didn't come up there after him. The red haired ghost wasn't sure that he'd be able to survive another weird strike like that. With that thought, Kid kept his eyes to the bedroom door and watched it warily as he waited for his energy to return to him.

-x-

Hawkins relaxed his stance. The spirit had gone away, for the time being. He turned his attention to the dark haired doctor.

Law swayed on the spot dazedly. Even though he was relieved and grateful that Kid's presence was gone, he didn't feel too well. The drain and mental anguish of being possessed and being unable to do anything in retaliation had taken its toll on him. As soon as the paper cards hanging in midair around Law burned out of existence, the dark haired man dropped to his knees before he let out a faint sound and fell to the ground the rest of the way, unconscious.

Hawkins looked around the immediate area. Satisfied that Kid was going to stay upstairs, he walked over to Luffy, "You. Boy. Call your grandfather. I'll keep watch over your brother."

Luffy looked as if he wanted to protest leaving his brother's side, but did as asked. Ace needed help, and he couldn't get his older brother to the hospital on his own. It wasn't until later that Luffy would wonder how Hawkins had known that he should call Garp.

Hawkins knelt down next to Ace to check on him, and was faintly surprised to see that the older teen was still conscious, if barely. Hawkins spoke before Ace could, "Your brother is unharmed. I expelled the spirit from the doctor." The long haired man lifted his head to look up at the second floor, "However, the spirit still remains in the house, but it will be weakened for some time after that spell." He fell silent, as he'd seen that Ace had passed out. Hawkins shook his head. Kid was one of the most unpredictable feeling spirits Hawkins had come across in a long time. He had been right when he'd first laid eyes on the red haired spirit outside of his shop.

Something had to be done, or people were going to die.

-x-

Dreamless sleep was a mixed blessing, because it meant that as soon as he woke up, Law had no idea whether he was still dreaming, or truly awake. Kid's past endeavors with realistic dreams had left the dark haired doctor questioning his sanity when it came to whether he was awake or asleep.  But Law knew he was awake this time, with the sight of Garp in the room with him and the older man scowling a little. Law had no idea what to say to explain himself. How did one try and tell someone else that a psychotic, mentally disturbed ghost had decided to take your body for a joyride of mayhem and death? Or try to, anyway. Luckily for the dark haired doctor, Garp spoke first and saved him the need to come up with an excuse.

"Most people call the police instead of trying to deal with intruders on their own. But you saved my fool grand-kids, so I guess you just got lucky doctor."

Law blinked in confusion at the older man, "What?"

"You don't remember the crazy guy with the knife attacking you? That's what Luffy said, anyway." Garp laughed, "Too bad that bastard got away. I would have given him a punch to the face for messing with those two."

Law sure as hell remembered the knife, as he'd been the one holding it. Not that he was going to tell Garp that. The doctor hadn't thought that Luffy would be smart enough to come up with a white lie like that. Maybe his brother had told him something before the cops had...

Law looked at Garp sharply, "Is Ace all right?" It had been quite disturbing to hear Kid laugh, almost happily, as he forced Law's body to stab the knife down at Luffy, and had instead stabbed Ace in the back. Kid had been disappointed before he'd promptly cracked up and muttered to Law that that had saved him the trouble of having to walk back over to Ace. Law had been disgusted with the red haired ghost by that point, but couldn't stop Kid from trying to follow through with injuring the teens further. Law supposed that he was very lucky that Hawkins had shown up when he did.

Garp apparently didn't notice Law's inner turmoil as he responded, "That fire starting troublemaker of a grandson? He'll be fine. He's just lucky that the knife missed his bones and vital organs. He should be able to leave the hospital in two weeks or less. I probably won't be able to get Luffy to leave his room, so I guess he'll be staying here." Garp reached out and clapped Law on the shoulder, jostling the other man, "I'll have to set some of my boys outside's Ace's room to make sure he doesn't try to sneak out too early." Garp laughed again as he turned and headed for the door, "I'll go let the nurse know that you're up. You should go get some rest at home. It'll probably be quiet without those two grand-kids of mine making noise to bother you."

Law sat up in the bed he was lying on as the door closed, and he ran his hands over his face as he sighed. He was exhausted, but he wasn't sure that he had much hope of getting some decent rest with Kid lurking in the house. Movement from nearby caught Law's attention, and he turned his head slowly. Dammit. Not now. The dark haired doctor settled his gaze on the nearby curtain in the room that separated his bed from another, and saw the outline of a man standing there. From the shape, there was no doubt at all that it was Kid.

Law pointedly looked away. While the doctor had many things that he wanted to say to Kid, he wasn't going to acknowledge the red haired ghost at the moment. That Kid didn't attempt to bother him made Law wonder if Hawkins had been able to do something to the ghost. He hoped that was the case, because he did not want Kid to try and possess his body again.

-x-

Kid watched Law, and knew from the way that the other man had tensed up that he had seen him standing there. The red haired ghost was disappointed but not at all surprised that Law said nothing to him. Not that Kid would actually have responded to him anyway. He was still too drained to do anything much but make a faint cold spot. Damn that tarot reading son of a bitch and his magic pieces of paper. Kid watched Law leave the hospital room, and faded from view as soon as the door was closed.

-x-

Law figured that it was best that he had ended up in the hospital where he worked. He'd been able to leave before he'd finished his paperwork, as Monet had offered to fill it in for him, and the dark haired doctor had taken her up on it. Law took a deep breath as he left the hospital. While he was hesitant to return to the house, he didn't really have anywhere else to go. Law was definitely not going to ask Doflamingo if one of his guest rooms was open. That would just allow the older man reason to tease him and the dark haired doctor was simply not in the mood for Doflamingo's games at the moment.

Law crossed the street, and sighed inwardly. Not that it mattered where he stayed, since it seemed that wherever he went, Kid would always show up. Law reached the house, taking his troubled thoughts with him as he entered the house. Law shut the front door behind him, and paused in the front hall. The dark haired doctor shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to go up to the master bedroom. Kid seemed more likely to show up there than in any other place in the house. Law turned and went into the living room. What Garp had said was true. He should be able to get some sleep without Luffy and Ace in the house. As long as Kid didn't come to feel him up in his sleep.

Again.

Law bundled himself up in the comforter that was on the back of the couch as he closed his eyes. The dark haired doctor was so exhausted that he fell straight into a deep sleep. It seemed that he would be able to get that good rest after all. Law didn't even react when Kid, downtrodden and barely visible, made a few futile attempts to speak to him. The doctor slept on, oblivious to the red haired ghost's attempts to get his attention.

-x-

Kid was frustrated, and after unsuccessfully trying to get Law's attention, he drifted moodily up to the master bedroom to sulk. He felt like shit. Like when he'd drank too much and had a massive hangover the following day. The red headed ghost settled on the bed. He didn't think that ghosts were supposed to be feel those kind of sensations. If they were supposed to feel anything at all. Kid glanced down at the floor. Whatever that long haired, spell toting son a bitch had done to him had left him with little to no energy to interact with the physical world.

And Kid did not like the loss of control one bit.

-x-

Down in the cellar, Trafalgar was growing increasingly concerned for Kid. If Hawkins happened to come back to the house and hit the red haired ghost with another spell like that, Trafalgar wasn't sure if his lover would be able to survive it and remain in this world. He desperately wanted to get Kid's attention. To speak to him. To warn him to lay low. But Trafalgar knew that the damage had already been done, and that he would have to find some way to protect his foolish red haired lover from what was likely to follow.

Trafalgar paced back and forth, frowning in thought. There wasn't much that he could do at this point, however. Kid had been taking in most of the energy to be gleaned from the living in this house. But Trafalgar would find a way. He had to find a way. Even now, he could sense that Kid's presence, while still overbearing, wasn't nearly as strong as it had been before.

By the time evening rolled around, Trafalgar still hadn't thought of a solution. And he hated for things to be out of hand where he was left with no options. It infuriated him. The dark haired ghost drifted upstairs, and glanced disinterestedly out one of the front door windows. And then did a double take.

There were people approaching the house, and Trafalgar couldn't believe his eyes. One of them resembled Kid when he'd first met the other man. Trafalgar grinned darkly. He had a start of a plan in mind, and it involved Kid's doppelganger. He'd seen that the living red head was carrying something out of the van he'd driven up in, and figured that he was going to come inside the house. Trafalgar turned and drifted back to the cellar to wait. He figured that someone would come down there, and hoped that it would be the person that was a slightly younger version of his lover.

Trafalgar trailed a hand along the railing as he went downstairs, a warped smile stretching across his lips. He was going to make a move, and see what would happen. He had grown weary of waiting for Kid to realize that he was there.  He was sick and tired of all of the interfering done by the living. The distractions and the intrusions of the living into the house that drew Kid's attention further and further away from him. Dashing his hopes of reuniting with his lover sooner rather than later.

Trafalgar caressed a hand along the nearest brick wall of the cellar before he rested his back against it. He had a good view of the stairs from where he waited. The smile was still in place, but Trafalgar's eyes were narrowed and full of restrained resentment and hate. He absolutely despised the living with every passing year, but it seemed that things were finally beginning to move in his favor. Trafalgar could wait a little while longer.

Because with Kid in a weakened state, the dark haired ghost would be able to draw in more energy that he hadn't been able to before.

And Trafalgar would use that energy to make himself known.


	21. Impatient

Law would have liked his uninterrupted sleep to remain that way, but it wasn't to be. The dark haired doctor was drawn from his slumber on the living room couch with a knock on the front door. Law sat up slowly, the comforter sliding down onto his lap as he yawned and stretched, before he frowned. From the looks of it, he'd been asleep for several hours, and it was getting later in the evening. Why would someone show up now? He didn't recall expecting anyone that day.

Law reluctantly left his place on the couch and exited the living room. Another knock sounded on the door, and Law answered it this time. The dark haired doctor stared silently at the people that were standing there, and realized that the only one he recognized was Hawkins. "Yes, what is it?" It was only after he'd spoken that Law realized that the other man that was standing there was likely Marco. The person that Ace had mentioned that he would call earlier that day.

Hawkins didn't seem too off put by Law's questioning expression, nor his apparent confusion, "I told you that help would find its way to you in my shop, didn't I? Did Ace not tell you that he had called an acquaintance?" Hawkins looked past Law, toward the upper floor and added casually, "The spell I used is still in effect, it seems. The spirit shouldn't cause us any problems for the time being."

Law took Marco's offered hand and shook it when the shorter haired man stepped forward, "I did talk to Ace about it, but he didn't mention that you'd be showing up so soon."

Marco nodded, looking abashed, "We would have come after I received Ace's call, but I thought he may have been exaggerating, so I didn't leave right away." Marco let go of Law's hand and stepped back, "Are you all right?"

Law nodded, "I suppose we all got lucky." In that Kid hadn't managed to get him to murder anyone in the house, and that the dark haired doctor was still in one piece, if exhausted, from the possession.

Marco frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You didn't tell them what happened?" Law turned a inquisitive look Hawkins way.

Hawkins gave a light shrug of his shoulders, "I gave them the details, but not how Ace had been injured."

When he saw Marco glance at him for clarification, Law gestured over his shoulder, "If you want me to tell you about it, and what else has been going on in this house, can we do that in the living room? I'd rather not discuss it outside." Law looked past Hawkins and Marco to the younger pink haired woman dressed in an odd looking, ruffled dress, "And who is she?"

"This is Perona. She's a psychic medium. She came and offered us her help, as she said that she's been sensing other spirit's unease in the area with this house." Marco answered, and glanced over his shoulder, "I believe that now would be the best time to try and make contact with the ghost. If it isn't at full strength, it shouldn't give you too much trouble." Marco turned his attention back to Law, "And we can talk while she does what she's best at. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, that's fine." Law didn't particularly care one way or another how many people came into the house. It was more Kid's house than his anyway. At this point, the doctor was willing to try anything to get Kid to leave him alone.

"Sabo and the others will want to set their equipment up in the house. They wanted to come along as well. Anything potentially haunted in the area and they want to be there to investigate the claims. They prefer a more...scientific approach to investigating paranormal occurrences." Marco said, with a bit of a faint, laidback smile at the thought.

Law couldn't bring himself to smile in return, since he needed no more confirmation, scientific or otherwise, of the ghostly activities that had been taking place in and out of the house. Most of them had been centered around him anyway. The dark haired doctor stepped back to allow Marco into the house, and led the other man to the living room. Law wasn't sure how useful talking about what had happened to him in the past few months would be useful, but was willing to go along with it, for now.

-x-

Perona walked along serenely after them, before she paused and looked around the front entry way. She closed her eyes and let her senses drift, and soon enough, she was able to pinpoint the spirits that resided in the house. She hadn't wanted too much information from Marco before she came into the house, but he had been wrong about there being only one spirit in this house. Perona walked over to the small door that led to the cellar, and rested a hand over it.

The pink haired medium let slip a frown. She could sense a faint presence of a spirit that was down there, but the other spirit that was upstairs was more noticeable with its overbearing presence, despite its currently weakened state. It drew her attention more than the spirit that was downstairs, though she felt she would try to communicate with both of them either way. Perona headed up the stairs, and after a moment's pause, slowly entered the master bedroom and held still. The spirit she was sensing was definitely in there, and whether she would be able to establish communication with it was entirely up to the spirit's willingness to speak to her.

-x-

Downstairs, a wavy blond haired young man entered the house, and half turned, carrying a suitcase, "Be careful you don't drop those cameras too, Eustass."

"Shut the fuck up, man. That handheld camera wasn't my fault! That girlfriend of yours tripped me on purpose!" The red haired man growled in return as he shifted his grasp on the camera tripods and the suitcase in his hands, and glowered at the blond, "I don't see why the hell you need all of this shit to go looking for fucking ghosts. They're not even really real. It's all in your head."

A short haired young woman nearly bumped into Eustass as she handed off a hat and a jacket to the blond. She completely ignored the red head behind her cursing, "Here Sabo. You forgot these."

"Ah, thanks, Koala." Sabo took the hat and jammed it on his head, and tossed the jacket over one shoulder, "You have the monitors set up in the van all right?"

Koala made a show of rolling her eyes, "Yes Sabo, I've only done this dozens of times. Don't worry, I'll be able to see everything wherever you decide to set the cameras up."

"Okay, okay, just checking." Sabo turned to Eustass, "Set up an infrared camera down in the cellar, would you? And take down an EMF reader and a digital voice recorder too, while you're at it."

Eustass scowled at the blond, before he set down a few of the tripods, and shouldered only one of them, "You're damn lucky I don't feel like killing you." The red head growled as he went to fish out a few handheld devices from the suitcase he'd been carrying.

Sabo set down the suitcase that he had been holding and opened it, revealing numerous amounts of sensitive electrical equipment, "And yet you were the one who stupidly tried to attack Dragon. It's really your own fault that you got stuck with us. We're supposed to keep an eye on you, so that you don't do something like that again."

"You remember the person that set fire to my house? To my damn car? Remember that at all? What was his name again? Ace, right?" Eustass looked around as he straightened up and moved the tripod higher up onto his shoulder, "Too bad that pyro son of a bitch isn't around. I could've sent him to the hospital instead of the ghost. It's his fault that I'm playing caddy for you ghost hunting idiots in the first place."

Sabo checked one of the hand held camera's batteries, not paying the angry red head much attention, "And how is your situation Ace's fault?"

"I only attacked Dragon because I thought that he was that bastard's father, and I could shake him up for some money to get a new home. And a new ride." Eustass said moodily in response as he stuck the EMF reader and digital recorder in his jacket pockets.

Sabo shook his head as he continued to sort through the equipment he'd brought in, "Koala, do we have any extra batteries? I'd hate for them to be drained and miss getting something on camera." Without turning, Sabo's hand shot up and caught a small bag that had been thrown through the air at him, "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm going to go back outside now. You boys try not to damage anything, okay?" Koala commented, leaving Sabo to figure out which battery went to which camera.

Eustass watched her go as he let out a snigger, "She's got you whipped, huh?"

Sabo finally looked up at the red head and gave him a dour, unimpressed glare, "No, I just know not to mess with her. She _is_ a black belt." Sabo smiled at the change of expression on Eustass' face as he watched the young woman leave the house, "Really? But she's so small."

"And deadly. Don't even think about crossing her. She'll lay you out flat on the ground before you know it."

Eustass turned a grin on Sabo, "Speaking from personal experience?"

Sabo began to fiddle with one of the cameras, "No, I just saw her take down some would be muggers a few times. They all underestimated what they'd gotten themselves into." Sabo raised his eyes to meet Eustass', "Weren't you going to go take that stuff downstairs? I'd like to start gathering evidence soon."

Eustass frowned at being dismissed, but decided it wasn't worth it to argue. Besides, if he had, Sabo would have learned that the red haired man had had his ass handed to him by Koala already. Eustass had made the mistake of trying to coerce her into giving him the keys to her car late one night when he'd been fed up with being ordered around. He was taking the fact with him to the grave that someone much shorter and less muscular than him had taken him down so quickly. Eustass had been unable to look Koala in the eyes for weeks after that. Not because he was afraid, but because the red head would've been very tempted to prove himself better. Eustass had ultimately decided that he didn't want to risk being seen by someone else, as he was likely to only be thrown down again by the petite Koala if another attempt was made.

Eustass shook the unpleasant memory from his thoughts as he headed over to the small door to the cellar, and stooped slightly to head down after he'd opened it. Jokingly, the red head spoke as he went down the stairs, "If a ghost jumps me I'm gonna send your ass to the hospital, Sabo, before your girlfriend can stop me."

"Be careful not to drop the camera." Sabo smiled a little at the pointed curse aimed his way, but other than that, paid Eustass no more heed at the moment. However, if the blond had looked up, he would have noticed that the cellar door swung shut soundlessly several minutes after Eustass had been down in the cellar.

-x-

Perona closed the door of the master bedroom behind her, and stood in the semi gloom. She could sense the spirit better now, and could tell that for now, it merely seemed to be curious with her presence. As if the spirit wasn't quite sure what to make of her. The longer she stood there without speaking, however, she could sense a change in the spirit's mood. It had gone to being suspicious, as well as distrustful and uneasy. Perona spoke calmly, not wanting to agitate it, "I can tell that you know that you are dead. Why do you still remain in this world? Why do you bother the living, and try to cause harm to others?"

Perona could feel herself being stared at, before she heard a ghostly whisper of air that accompanied the spirit's response. The response made her wary, and Perona waited a moment before she spoke again, "Who are you looking for, Eustass Kid?" Perona could feel surprise from the spirit, but she'd already known as much. The pink haired medium was honestly shocked when she received a response. It gave her an idea of what Law had been through, at the very least, "The person you are looking for isn't in that man. You can't continue to torment him in the hopes that the person you're searching for will appear. Because he isn't there, Eustass. The Trafalgar Law that you're looking for has never been in him, and never will be."

Perona felt the room's temperature drop several degrees, and could sense Kid's rising anger at being told the person he was trying to find wasn't where he thought he was all this time. Perona continued on, "You've been blinding yourself to the truth that's been around you. You've been blocking out the very person you've been searching for." Perona fell silent immediately when she felt Kid gather up some energy, and started a little at the fact that the spirit managed to make himself audible to the human ear. Rough, furious denial laced his words.

"Shut the fuck up! You're lying! He's in there somewhere, and I'm going to find him! Don't interfere!"

Perona backed away slowly, and exited the room when some of the items on the nearby dresser were violently knocked off and thrown across the room, "Calm down. You're only wasting your energy. I will leave you, for now, but I wish to speak to you again later." Perona left the room entirely, and closed the door. She heard a scream of utter rage echo from within, but it was only her that heard it, as Kid had used up the energy he'd gathered to say his previous words and knock the items around.

Perona thought she ought to let the others know what little she'd learned. She had an idea forming in her mind of what was going on in the house, and was fairly certain of who the other spirit in the house was. Perona was left to ponder why Kid didn't seem to notice the other spirit's presence. The house was obviously the red haired spirit's originally, so he should have been able to sense everything that was going on in his own home. But for some reason, Kid was so fixated on Law that he didn't seem to realize that the person he was so desperately trying to find was already there, waiting for him.

The pink haired medium headed for the stairs. Perona felt that she had to mention to Eustass to stay away from the other spirit in the basement, since he resembled Kid so much. Perona reached the bottom of the stairs and spotted Sabo setting up some of his equipment. She turned her head one way, and then the other, "Where is Eustass?"

Sabo glanced up, "Oh, hi Perona. Done communing with the spirit already?"

Perona gave Sabo a superior look, "Not yet. The spirit got a little overemotional, so I'll have to go back and speak to him later, once he's calmed down and in a somewhat reasonable mood." Perona fixed her gaze on Sabo, and repeated her previous question, "Where is Eustass?"

Sabo didn't question the medium this time as he responded, "I had him go to the cellar to set up some of the equipment. Why?"

"Get him back up here, now." Perona's voice was clipped, worried.

"What's the problem?" Sabo wondered, and he stiffened as Perona was suddenly right up in front of him, all but glowering at him.

"Because the spirit upstairs looks like him, and the spirit downstairs is the one that that spirit is looking for."

Sabo stared at the medium for a moment, before he realized what she was hinting at. The blond crossed out of the living room and to the closed cellar door. Sabo reached out to open it, but found that it was stuck fast. "What the...?" Sabo jiggled the door handle, but still couldn't get the door to open. "There's not a lock..." He mumbled, tugging at the door with more force.

It didn't budge.

Perona came up beside Sabo and reached out to lay a hand on the door. She held it there for a moment, before her eyes widened, and she whirled to face Sabo, "Get Hawkins. Now." As the blond went off to do as asked, the pink haired medium ran her hand over the cellar door again.

It seemed that she'd come back downstairs too late to give Eustass the warning, and Perona silently apologized for not getting there sooner. The energy holding the door closed was extremely malevolent, and the aura of the energy only seemed to grow with every passing moment.

-x-

Eustass set up the equipment down in the cellar quietly, still sulking a little after being basically ordered to do it by Sabo. Eustass turned the camera so that the view would cover most of the cellar. The red haired man shook his head as he turned on the EMF reader and held it up. No matter how much he disliked Sabo, the blond idiot was right that he had basically gotten himself into this mess on his own. That didn't mean that he liked his situation any more than if it hadn't been his fault.

Eustass placed the EMF reader and digital recorder on a shelf in the storage area. Eustass felt a cool breeze briefly pass him, and held back a shiver at the sudden drop in temperature that followed. Eustass narrowed his eyes as he double checked the infrared camera. While he didn't believe in the paranormal, that didn't mean that he was not going to entertain the possibility of it. The cold that he was feeling right now certainly didn't seem to be natural, even if the cellar was underground. The red haired man glanced at a handheld temperature gauge in his left hand, and saw the temperature was steadily dropping from where it'd been earlier. It had been at 68 degrees, but it had dropped down to 60, and was steadily falling further.

Eustass turned toward the stairs as he pocketed the temperature gauge. He wasn't about to stay and see if bullshit poltergeist or ghostly phenomena was going to happen to him. Although, if it did, it would give him an excuse to follow through on the threat he'd made to Sabo. Unfortunately for Eustass, the ghost in the cellar had had it's eyes locked onto him ever since he'd come down there, and it wasn't about to let him walk away so easily.

-x-

Trafalgar had had to restrain himself from immediately leaping at the red haired man as soon as he set eyes on him. The dark haired ghost had watched Eustass set up the equipment he'd brought down with him, and had taken the time to admire the other with a hungry gaze as he gave the red head a once over. While Trafalgar had originally only intended to scare the other man a little, Trafalgar decided that he needed a way to let out some pent up aggression over Kidd being an oblivious idiot.

Trafalgar began to walk toward Eustass when it seemed that the other man was nearly finished with whatever it was that he was doing. The dark haired ghost smirked that it was only when he got almost got right up next to him that Eustass finally noticed his presence. Trafalgar almost laughed at the way the red haired man abruptly turned and headed for the stairs. The ghostly doctor's smile widened. He'd made up his mind with what he was going to do now, and he wasn't going to let Eustass leave so quickly. Trafalgar reached out and wrapped a hand around the red head's nearest wrist. The dark haired ghost loved the startled reaction that he received. It must be disconcerting for someone unseen to grab someone else. Trafalgar tugged at the wrist that he held in his cold grasp, and used the small amount of energy that he drew from Eustass in that moment to forcefully drag the other man away from the stairs.

Trafalgar waved his free hand at the door at the top of the stairs, and closed it without too much trouble. His actions drew an interesting sound from Eustass, who backed away toward one corner of the cellar after freeing himself of the ghost's touch. The sight Trafalgar was presented with reminded him of when he and Kidd had first gotten together. Kid had seemed so confident when he'd met him, so arrogant and rude, that the sudden vulnerable side Kid had shown him was so very fascinating to his potential lover. The nervous air hadn't lasted for very long when it became clear to the red haired man just how sick in the mind the doctor really was. Trafalgar had been able to be himself for the first time around someone else, and that first night with Kidd had been the most fun they'd both likely had in a very long time.

They had both had problems with being too extreme for their previous lovers.

The dark haired ghost reached out a hand toward Eustass teasingly, and laughed as the motion made the red head back away from him more quickly. It made Trafalgar think that the other man had perhaps been able to see him. Or at the very least sense that he was there. The expression of surprise that had crossed Eustass' face sure made the ghost think that it was one of the two things. Trafalgar smiled again. He was going to use this chance to draw out more energy from Kid's doppelganger. And while he did that, Trafalgar was going to muse about what he'd do with Kid once he got his hands on his wayward lover. Even if he had had quite a lot of time already to think about such things.

Trafalgar edged even closer, backing Eustass into the storage area of the cellar. Which was just where the other wanted him to be. Trapped with nowhere to run. The dark haired ghost knew that he had more experience taking energy away from his surroundings and the living than Kid did. And how to use that energy. With the red haired ghost's power lower at the moment, it made it all the more easy. With a few more steps, Trafalgar had Eustass trapped against the wall, and he was able to close the distance that had been between them.

Within a few moments, Eustass was overwhelmed by the prolonged exposure to Trafalgar's icy cold presence. The sensation of having his energy sapped from him made Eustass sway in place dazedly, until he was forced to sit down on the ground when his feet could no longer support him. The red head was shaking slightly and unable to do much else other than to let out a faint sound of utter confusion, as if confused over what was going on.

Trafalgar half turned and his eyes were drawn up to the lights in the cellar. With a slight effort on his part, Trafalgar sapped the energy out of those lights and plunged the area into complete darkness. Not that it bothered him overly much, as he was quite used to it after being in the shadows for over one hundred years. He could see perfectly well with or without light. Trafalgar didn't want Eustass to get a very good look at him, but had wanted to be seen just enough to have Kid overhear talk of another ghost in the house. Maybe that would get his attention.

The dark haired ghost crouched before Eustass, his mind swirling with different possibilities with what he was going to do with the man before him. While Trafalgar didn't particularly want to be zeroed in on by the strangers that were currently in the house, he really couldn't resist the opportunity that had presented itself to him.

Trafalgar blamed his lover's lack of attention for what he did next. Not that he regretted it one bit, as twisted as he was to begin with. No, it was fun to him, and he was just disappointed that it wasn't his Kid that he had cornered.

But he would make do with what he had.


	22. An Icy Touch

If he had still had the need to breathe, Trafalgar knew that his breath would have been coming out in shaky, rapid breaths as he slid between Eustass' legs. His heart would have started to race as well, but since Trafalgar was dead, that wasn't a problem for him to worry about. It would allow him to focus on the man before him, and let Trafalgar have a little fun of his own, lonely as he was with his idiot Kid being oblivious of him.

Eustass didn't seem to appreciate his cold presence, but Trafalgar didn't particularly care how the red haired man felt about him and the situation he suddenly found himself in. The dark haired ghost was going to do as he wished, and it was the other man's fault for coming down into the cellar on his own. It was far too tempting for Trafalgar to resist, as he was longing for his lover's touch and attentions, as he had been without them for far too long. Trafalgar shoved Eustass' legs apart to make room for himself as he settled down on his knees and let his hands rest on the other man's shoulders. The dark haired ghost leaned back for a moment to appreciate the other man's outfit, and thought that his lover would have looked quite flattering in the jacket that the doppelganger of him was wearing. Trafalgar was a little surprised that Eustass had found something that fit his broad shoulders that allowed for the jacket to be zipped up. Trafalgar was far more used to seeing Kid bare chested, or with the clothing undone in the front.

Trafalgar caught sight of the bandana or scarf that held the red head's hair back and out of his face, and decided that he didn't like it. The goggles were definitely better. With what Eustass was wearing now made him look like a thug. Trafalgar smirked a little as he reached up with one of his hands and tugged it off with a short burst of energy. Not that his lover didn't look like one when he was having a bad day and not particularly caring about his appearance. Trafalgar moved a little closer, so that he pressed up against Eustass' chest, and his smirk widened when he heard the red head make a disgruntled sound of protest. Trafalgar ran the same hand he'd used to tug the bandana off through the unruly red hair, ignoring the shiver that passed through the man he had trapped against the wall. He made an effort to make sure he didn't just phase through Eustass. Trafalgar inched back a bit with a quick glance, and decided that the small change made the doppelganger of his lover look much better. The dark haired ghost did love the tossled, scruffy look.

Trafalgar leaned forward again and rested his upper body more snugly against Eustass' chest, his hands sliding down from the other's shoulder and hair. He ran them both down along Eustass' chest, and the dark haired ghost absently continued to drain the living man's energy for his own. Trafalgar slipped one of his hands up beneath the shirt that Eustass wore beneath the black jacket, and used his other hand to tug the zipper of the jacket down slowly. It didn't take that much energy to accomplish, and soon enough, he had it unzipped all the way, giving himself better access to the shirt beneath.

The dark haired ghost's actions drew forth a shuddering gasp from Eustass, and had the red head had the strength to do so, he would have tried to escape from whatever was touching him. The touch was light and sensual, and cold as fuck. Eustass bit his lip and tried to wiggle away from the frigid coldness that was settled over him, but found that whatever was there merely held him against the wall more heavily, and the cold feeling grew. Eustass bit back what would have been a whimper, and despite how miserable he was feeling, he started to get angry. Who the fuck was messing with him? Since when were ghosts able to touch the living?

Trafalgar smirked at the desperation that he could begin to sense from the other man. The dark haired ghost tilted his head to rest it against Eustass' shoulder, and leaned his body forward, so that he could run his lips along the red haired man's throat. Trafalgar could tell that Eustass was fighting to remain quite, and it made him smile against the skin as he began to lay little bites here and there. He could play that game with this doppelganger. Trafalgar loved to break through his lover's tough exterior to the point that it left the other man lying in a hot, sweaty mess of whimpers and moans and whines while he hoarsely begged him for more.

The dark haired ghost reached up and ran a hand lightly along Eustass' jawline, across from where he was putting light nips and kisses, and trailed the hand across his cheek, to where it went up to tangle into the messy red hair again. With a light squeeze of his hand, Trafalgar tilted Eustass' head to the side, drawing forth a weak sound of protest. Trafalgar ignored it as he brought his lips to Eustass' jugular and laid a light bite there. The dark haired ghost was turned on by how quickly Eustass' pulse was racing beneath his mouth, and fisted his hand in Eustass' hair to keep the other man from jerking his head away from the bite. Trafalgar let the pressure of the bite increase, and when he received a faint whimper of confusion, he released it, and kissed the mark he'd made.

The dark haired ghost shifted so that he could be even closer, as he let the hand in Eustass' hair relax, and ran it along through the surprisingly soft hair in a soothing gesture. Trafalgar knew that any sexual desire that he currently felt was merely within his mind, but the ghost liked it all the same. He enjoyed remembering the sensations that they brought to him. And he wasn't anywhere near done with Eustass. He wanted to break the other man, if only to make it a prelude to what he would have fun doing with his lover when they finally reunited. Trafalgar drew away from Eustass' throat, and bumped his head lightly against the side of the red head's, the ghostly doctor using the hand still tangled in Eustass' hair to hold him there.

Trafalgar's lips brushed against Eustass' ear as he whispered to the red haired man, "It's too bad that you aren't the Eustass-ya that I know. If you were, I would fuck you senseless until you begged me to stop. Or to keep going, depending on his mood." Trafalgar let his hand slide up beneath Eustass' shirt further, causing a more powerful shudder. Trafalgar laid a quick kiss on Eustass' nearest cheek, and whispered against the skin, "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to enjoy myself." Trafalgar flicked one of his fingers against Eustass' chest, drawing forth a jump from the other man, "Be a good boy and behave. If you try to run, I'll be forced to stop you." Trafalgar kissed his way down along Eustass' jawline, and mouthed against the side of the red head's throat, thinking to leave another mark there. Trafalgar stopped, however, because he hadn't realized that he'd drawn enough energy from Eustass that he had made himself audible to the other man.

"What the fuck! Get away from me, you son of a bitch! I swear I'm going to kill that blond ghost hunting bastard! He never mentioned that ghosts would ever do _this_."

Trafalgar paused what he was doing for only a brief instance, before he resumed exploring Eustass' chest, and pinched down experimentally. The ghostly doctor laughed softly when his action drew out a startled yelp, "So you can hear me?"

"Yes, I can fucking hear you, and I really wish I didn't. I don't believe in all that ghost and life after death bullshit! Leave me the fuck alone!" Eustass futilely attempted to shove the ghost, a freaking ghost, which shouldn't even exist, away from him. However, it only sapped his energy further trying to force the cold presence away from himself. The slight effort drained him, and Eustass was left panting from the effort, resting heavily against the brick wall behind him.

Trafalgar withdrew his hand from beneath Eustass' shirt, or rather, let his hand phase through the shirt, because he could. Trafalgar let himself rest more heavily against the other man once more without falling through him, as the spirit let his hands trail down to the other man's waist. When his hands began to swiftly undo the other's belt, Eustass bit his lip and tried to edge away. Trafalgar almost laughed at the useless gesture, and continued with his current focus. At this point, he was draining more and more of Eustass' energy, and was having a much easier time interacting with the physical world. Subsequently, the effort of having his energy leeched off of him made it harder for Eustass to speak, so when Trafalgar got his belt off and pants tugged down slightly, the only sound the red head could make was a faint distressed whine of discomfort. And Trafalgar loved the sound. He found it cute, oddly enough, as he slipped one of his hands down Eustass' boxers. He absently wrapped his hand around the other's length and dragged his hand slowly along it.  Trafalgar was even polite enough to make sure the energy focus was there, so as to not freeze Eustass' dick off.

The dark haired ghost smiled wryly as he let his head rest on Eustass' shoulder again, his voice distant as he reminisced, "I'm kind of disappointed that you aren't my lover. It feels like you're the same size he was." Trafalgar's tongue darted out along Eustass' throat, "I think I want to play with you a little longer than I thought. I want to see if you come undone like he does when I tease him." The dark haired ghost breathed against the skin, "I want to break you." The terrified whine that issued from the other man made Trafalgar squeeze his hand and speed up his tempo on the other's man's cock, getting more excited with every passing moment. Even though he knew that the red haired man he was playing with wasn't _his_ Eustass.

Trafalgar brought his free hand up to tug up Eustass' shirt. The dark haired ghost slid down along Eustass' body, until his head was level with the red head's chest. Trafalgar began to trail kisses along the other's chest, occasionally biting down and teasing the red head's nipples. That drew out a delicious sounding moan of half protest and half pleasure, though Trafalgar supposed that it could also have been from the hand job he was giving him. Trafalgar was concentrating most of the energy he'd gained into making that hand not as cold as the rest of him, so that he'd have an easier time tormenting the red head. Though the dark haired ghost was starting to let himself imagine that it was actually his lover he was doing this to.

Trafalgar drew back from Eustass' chest, and wrapped his arm around the other's neck and shoulders. The ghostly doctor wasn't thinking much about the fact that he was drawing out so much energy from Eustass that the red head couldn't do much in protest other than to take what he was being given.

Trafalgar slid his hand along Eustass' length at a quicker pace, and could tell that the red haired man was getting close. Trafalgar used the arm around Eustass' shoulders to turn the man's head toward him. The hand threaded through Eustass' hair again, and Trafalgar tensed both the arm and hand to prevent Eustass from jerking his head away from the cold breath he no doubt felt spilling across his face. Just as Trafalgar felt the red head about to come, the hand wrapped around Eustass' dick dipped down and squeezed, which drew forth a thin groan of protest. The gasp that followed made Trafalgar smile as he brought his face closer to Eustass', "Do you want me to let you come, or did you want me to leave you alone?"

"Fuck...you, you son...of a bitch." Eustass gasped out, unable to stop himself from shivering as the ghost's presence only seemed to make the air grow colder. Eustass twitched when one of the ghost's finger's gripping his length flicked up against the tip of him. Shit, why the fuck was this happening to him? Another rough movement, and Eustass' head dropped back against the wall as his mind latched onto the other's words. Teeth chattering together, Eustass managed to force out a few words, "S...Stop...leave me...alone."

Trafalgar's expression darkened. It wasn't the answer that he wanted. He wanted this doppelganger bastard to beg. Beg like he probably never had in his whole damn life. Wanted to break him down. Force it out of him. Trafalgar turned his head slightly and bit the side of Eustass' neck, and growled against the skin, "Don't waste my time." Trafalgar roughly ran his hand along the red head's dick, driving him toward release again, and was sadistically pleased at the faint cry that issued out of Eustass. Trafalgar squeezed his hand down again to prevent the red head from being able to come, and let up on the bite as he spoke warningly, "I can keep doing this and not let you come at all." The dark haired ghost heard a faint exhalation leave the other man, and smirked when he felt Eustass' hips jerk slightly, before the red head finally broke down at the prospect of being continually tormented like this.

"Dammit...just let me...please...I can't..." Eustass trailed off, letting out a faint groan as he felt even more energy sapped from him. He was unaware of the effect his begging had had on the ghost. But he was more concerned that he had actually begged a damn ghost to keep giving him a hand job. What the hell was wrong with him?

Trafalgar made a few more pumps of the other man's cock with his hand before Eustass came with a faint, relieved whimper, and went limp, sagging back against the wall. Trafalgar drew his hand back and glanced at it. It figured that there was nothing there since he didn't technically exist in the same plane of existence as Eustass. The dark haired ghost could tell that Eustass was at his limit with being sapped of his energy, and was in danger of passing out. Perhaps he would leave it at that, for now, and let the red haired man retreat with his tail between his legs.

But what he hadn't expected was for Eustass to have enough left in him to retaliate.

Trafalgar felt something punch through his manifestation of himself, and glanced down. A dagger had been driven through his chest with surprising accuracy. Trafalgar lifted his gaze to meet Eustass' exhausted one, despite the red head not being able to see him in the dark. Trafalgar figured that Eustass must have had the blade tucked beneath his jacket, out of view, and had jabbed it at him with surprising accuracy. Had the ghostly doctor been alive, the blade would have gone between his ribs and dangerously close to his heart. Trafalgar had to appreciate the aim that Eustass had made in complete darkness, and smiled in a twisted way. It turned him on even more when he knew that Eustass, from the way his hand currently shook around the dagger he held, that it must feel like he'd punched his hand straight into frigid water.

It never ceased to amuse Trafalgar at how the living responded to the unknown.

The dark haired ghost quickly took advantage of Eustass' momentary paralysis to shove the man roughly to one side, where Eustass ended up flat on his back. It wasn't that hard for Trafalgar to accomplish, considering how weak and shaky Eustass currently was. Trafalgar crawled onto the red head to keep him pinned to the ground with his cold presence, and leaned over to lock lips with him. While it wasn't his lover, Trafalgar felt that he wanted to do it. Even though he hadn't been harmed by the dagger, it had turned him on to be attacked in such a manner. The way Eustass made a faint disgusted sound of protest was far too endearing for some reason, and the ghost could only imagine what it must be like to have something unseen touching you.

Keeping the red haired man locked in the kiss, Trafalgar slipped some tongue in, and assailed the inside of Eustass' mouth with practiced ease. Trafalgar's hands slid along through Eustass' hair on either side of his head to keep him in place, and smiled into the kiss as the other man squirmed beneath him. Trafalgar used some of the energy he'd taken from Eustass to reach over and wrap one hand around the red head's that was still loosely clutching the dagger. Trafalgar kept the pressure around Eustass' hand and forced the other man to keep a hold of it in his weakening grasp.

Trafalgar drew back from the kiss and licked Eustass' lips, before he murmured against them, "It isn't fair that you look so much like him. It's like I'm seeing him for the first time again, back when he was younger and unscarred." Trafalgar kissed the side of Eustass' lips, "I think I'm going to change that. I made some of the scars before, and I think I want to...relive that." Trafalgar sealed his lips over Eustass' again before the red head could utter a word of protest. The dark haired ghost smiled into the kiss, when he realized that Eustass had shuddered at the contact.

Trafalgar peeked out of the corner of his eye, before he directed Eustass' hand up to the left side of the red head's face. He held it just against the skin, near the inside of the left eye near his forehead, "Hold still and keep your eye closed." Trafalgar murmured into the kiss, his voice light and teasing, "You don't want to lose it, do you?" That said, the ghost forced his way into the red head's mouth to ravish the inside of it again. Trafalgar couldn't help but feel a little cheated in the fact that this wasn't his lover. But the resemblances were uncanny, especially in the way that Eustass started to try to fight back against what he had planned. Trafalgar settled the blade's tip more heavily against the skin. Eustass was far too weakened to put up much of a fight, and it merely excited Trafalgar more that he was going to make the other man bleed.

The dark haired ghost directed Eustass' dagger down slowly, making the cut. Trafalgar ignored the intake of air that was a gasp of pain, as he merely adjusted slightly so that he kept his moth sealed over Eustass' to prevent the cries from being more audible. He didn't want anyone to hear the red head. Not until the ghostly doctor was finished with him and wanted one of the other people in the hose to come find him.

Trafalgar repeated the gesture on the other side of the eye, not having to exert much energy to force Eustass' hand along, despite the continued pressure of the red head struggling to stop him. With careful precision, the dark haired ghost cut a faint line down the right side, missing the eye but not by much. Trafalgar's gaze locked onto the sight of the blood welling up from the wounds, and noted that Eustass had squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying not to make a sound. Though he'd only have made it easier for Trafalgar to continue with the kiss. When Trafalgar angled the blade to go down the side of Eustass' throat, he felt Eustass whimper into the kiss, and the dark haired ghost decided to relent. He didn't want to drain Eustass entirely of his energy, since he needed him to be able to crawl off and let the others, and Kid, know that there was something else in the house.

"Almost done. I know what I'm doing, I'm a doctor." Trafalgar muttered as he broke the kiss, "Or used to be. Guess I started to cut up one too many bodies instead of piecing them back together to save them." The dark haired ghost drew Eustass' hand over to the left side of his throat, "Don't move. You don't want me to accidentally cut too deeply and open up an artery, do you?" He felt the red head's hand tremble slightly, and Trafalgar nuzzled his head beneath Eustass's chin, keeping an eye on the hand he had wrapped tightly around Eustass' hand, "Do you want me to stop?" Trafalgar felt Eustass' jaw tense, and the ghost laughed, "If you don't tell me, I won't know, will I?" The dark haired ghost felt that he was having far too much fun with tormenting Eustass, and hoped that the other realized he was merely being sarcastic. Trafalgar was going to finish what he started, no matter what the red head might try to say.

If he could say anything at all at this point.

Eustass' hand twitched again within Trafalgar's grasp, but he was just too exhausted, and hurting from the newly made facial wounds, to form a sentence. He could only let out an exhalation of breath, and sincerely hoped the ghost was done with him already. Eustass wanted to deny that this was happening to him, but it was kind of hard to do that when he was wide awake. Not to mention he couldn't see a damn thing with the lights out, but he sure as hell could feel what felt like a body pinning him down to the ground. Among other things that the unseen being had done to him. Eustass had been sure that his dick was going to freeze off when the ghost had touched him, but apparently his body had decided to go along with the bizarre situation. Eustass felt the tip of the dagger against his throat, and he froze as he heard the ghost speak to him, in that same smooth, silky voice laced with restrained lust and desire. It was fucking creepy as hell that Eustass found himself turned on by the tone of that voice.

"No complaints? Then I'll just keep going then."

Eustass set his jaw as he tired to pull against the hold on his wrist, to bring the sharp blade away from his throat. What the hell had he had to get the damn thing sharpened earlier that week? Though the red head knew that he would have had no idea that he was going to be assaulted by a horny ghost that seemed to think he looked like somebody he knew. That shit only happened in books and movies, and it had no business being in his life. Eustass felt the pressure of the dagger against his throat again, and the stinging poke of the blade cutting into his skin. Eustass' hand twitched as the pain continued while the dagger slowly began to make it's way through the flesh of the side of his neck, and he jerked his head away, hissing in pain when the blade cut a little deeper in response. The red head twitched a little when he heard what sounded like a sigh, before he felt his skin crawl as an unseen hand fisted into his hair and held his head down and to the side, giving the ghost better access to his neck. Eustass still couldn't find his voice, and ended up settling for faint grunts of pain as he felt the hand guide his own along the side of his neck, and soon he could feel a trickle of blood make its way down the side of his neck, to his shoulder.

Trafalgar was entertained with the faint resistance, and just as he started to make a cut along Eustass' collarbone, he was partially distracted by the sound of rapid footsteps, and a sharp voice. The next thing Trafalgar knew, there was a burning sensation between his shoulder blades, and the heat rapidly grew in intensity, until it was a searing burn that cut deeply into his manifested self. Immense pain followed soon after, and the agony of it was so intense that it made the dark haired ghost feel as if he were dying all over again.

Trafalgar grit his teeth against the pain, but knew that in that moment he couldn't linger. He wasn't a fool. He knew when he was being attacked. With a slight effort on his part, the ghostly doctor threw himself to one side, and away from Eustass. Trafalgar winced as the pain seared throughout his body, but forced himself to keep on going. He heard someone speaking. It was Hawkins. The spell caster. And the long haired man was obviously trying to finish what he started. But the dark haired ghost had been given enough warning with the first attack that it gave him enough time to retreat. Trafalgar veiled his presence and phased through the wall of the cellar, and into the hidden room.

Once he was out of immediate danger, Trafalgar was struck by just how much pain he was in, and just how much it burned. It shouldn't have been possible for anyone to harm someone in such a way, especially if they were already dead and had no physical body. Remaining upright and manifested appeared to be too much of a drain on his energy, so Trafalgar drifted over to one corner of the room, to where there was a mattress. Trafalgar rested on it and held still as the agony seared from his back, and spiraled out to the rest of his body. It was so painful that the dark haired ghost soon couldn't stand it, and tried to feel his back where the pain was emanating from. To make it stop. Trafalgar dropped his hand at once as merely touching the area made the pain flare up and lance throughout his body again, driving him to lay perfectly still.

Trafalgar vaguely heard Eustass being taken upstairs by the spell caster, after what sounded like Hawkins had given up trying to figure out where he'd gone. Trafalgar let out a wheeze of laughter at how stupid it had been of him to force himself on Eustass for so long. He'd been so distracted that he'd forgotten that there was someone in the house that could cause him lasting harm. The laughter trickled down into a self deprecating, faint chuckle until Trafalgar finally fell silent.

It was only when Eustass had gone back upstairs with Hawkins did Trafalgar feel that the spell Hawkins had used on him begin to dissipate. It couldn't come soon enough. Trafalgar let out a relieved, airless sigh of relief as the pain left him soon after, leaving behind only an exhaustion that he was all too familiar with. All of the energy that Trafalgar had gathered from Eustass was now gone, as he had used it to combat the spell's effect on him.

Trafalgar lay there in the darkness, and supposed that it was good that he had taken more energy in than he had originally intended to, as it appeared as though Hawkins had been trying to banish him from this plane of existence. And the spell caster had almost succeeded. Trafalgar had had to use nearly all of the energy he had gathered in order to fend off the worst of the spell's effect, and he was left with a pathetically minuscule amount of energy, and with it, he wouldn't be able to do much more than drift around aimlessly, unseen.

Trafalgar closed his eyes in the darkness of the hidden room. His lips curved into a smirk. This certainly was a setback for trying to catch Kid's attention. Both he and his lover were now at dangerously low power levels, due to that damn Hawkins and his spells.

Thoughts of revenge filled Trafalgar's thoughts as he waited to recover as much as he could from the unexpected strike. The dark haired ghost knew that he would have to eventually go check on things going on in the rest of the house, as well as see how Kidd was doing. But not right now. He needed to at least wait until he had regained enough energy that it didn't feel as if he were going to fade away and never return.

Trafalgar knew that he shouldn't have done what he had so soon, and especially not when there were people in the house that could fight back. But the dark haired ghost's patience was at an end. Trafalgar would have to hope that Eustass mentioned him in a way that would catch Kid's attention. Trafalgar opened his eyes briefly, and an empty look filled them as he stared at nothing in particular, and murmured softly, "Eustass-ya..."

He couldn't wait for much longer.

-x-

Eustass waved off Hawkins help up the stairs as he hastily tugged his pants up and secured the belt around his waist. His dagger was already tucked back beneath his jacket, but the red head hadn't bothered to zip his jacket up yet. Eustass was still trying to come to terms with what had happened down in the cellar. He exited the door, and paused in the front hall as Hawkins addressed him.

"Are you all right?"

The red haired male turned and fixed a one eyed glare on the other, "Do I fucking look like I'm all right? A damn ghost just assaulted me and cut my face!" He kept his left eye shut for the time being, as blood had dripped down over it, and had started to congeal there. He didn't want to wipe it away, because he was likely to cause the cut above his eye to continue to bleed.

"Hawkins? What happened?"

Eustass seized up a little at the voice. No, the son of a bitch was downstairs. He couldn't be right there. The voice was different, barely, as it wasn't as confident and condescending as the ghost had been speaking to him down in the cellar. But it resembled that bastard's voice enough that Eustass would never fail to recognize it if he heard the ghost again. There was a sharp intake of breath as the red haired man turned his head slowly, and spotted Law standing just outside the living room doorway and looking between the two men in the front hall. Eustass' eye widened at the sight of the dark haired man. The clothes were different, but other than that, it looked exactly like the ghost that had been down in the cellar. The one that had assaulted him and made him feel like absolute and utter shit. While still shaky on his feet, Eustass felt renewed strength surge through him, enough to get him to move. Eustass brushed Hawkins' hand off his shoulder as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and Law, and grinned nastily at the fact that the dark haired man backed away into the living room, looking horrified to see him.

That was fine with Eustass. The damn bastard had better be nervous about coming face to face with him. Eustass was able to fight back now that he wasn't drenched in an unnatural cold like he had been down in the cellar. The red head trapped Law against the far wall of the living room, and pointedly ignored Marco speaking to him as his right hand shot out and wrapped around Law's throat. Eustass' grin deepened as he shoved the other man more heavily against the wall. Good. He could grab the son of a bitch this time.

"Kid! What the hell are you doing? Stop!"

Eustass turned his head to glare at Marco, who was trying to pry his hand off of Law, "Back the fuck off! He attacked me first!" And Eustass wasn't going to let someone get away with that.

"Law has been up here with me since before you came into this house." Marco said, squeezing his own hand around Eustass' wrist, "Let go of him, now."

"You're choking him." Hawkins commented, "A ghost has no need to breathe."

Eustass' head whipped back to Law to see if what the long haired man said was true, and realized that yes, the other man was gasping for breath. Eustass let go of the doctor abruptly, and stepped away, "What the hell? Then who was down in the cellar with me?" Fuck, it was a ghost after all, wasn't it? Eustass wasn't so sure he could handle this right now. He couldn't exactly punch the ghost in the face, since trying to stab it in the chest had yielded poor results.

"It was the other spirit that resides in this house. It is the spirit of a man that the spirit upstairs has been searching for."

Everyone present turned to look at the speaker, while Law sunk down in the nearest chair to massage his throat.

Perona stepped into the living room, and calmly looked between Law and Eustass, "The two of you are being targeted by these spirits because both of you look exactly like them."


	23. Found

"What?" Law hadn't expected that, but it did make sense with the way that Kid had been hounding him. Certain that Law was someone he wasn't, and then thinking that that person the red headed ghost wanted to see was somewhere inside him. But the dark haired doctor hadn't thought that there was another ghost in the house. He'd never seen it, but at this point Law wasn't surprised.

Perona patiently turned her attention from Law to Eustass, "The spirit that you saw down in the cellar looked like Law, didn't it? That's why you attacked him when you saw him just now."

Eustass nodded, though he couldn't help but still eye Law suspiciously. It was hard not to see the ghost in the other man, but he could tell that he wasn't the same person now. The immediate threat gone, Eustass instead brought his hand up to the wounds on his face, and grumbled something under his breath.

"Law, do you have any first aid kits in this house? You are a doctor, and I think those injuries should be seen to. I don't believe that he's going to try to attack you again." Hawkins glanced at Eustass, "Are you?"

"He's not the son of a bitch that did this to me, so no." Eustass said grumpily, and settled down on the nearest chair, while Law reluctantly went off to go locate the first aid kit he kept in the house with him.

Perona waited until Law had returned and started to treat Eustass' wounds before she began to speak again, "The spirit that is currently upstairs is a hateful presence that is going to be hard to try and remove. At this point I'm not even sure if we would be able to force it to leave." Perona briefly looked at Eustass as she added, "The spirit that is downstairs has to be the one that the other spirit has been looking for. The one that attacked Eustass." Perona wrung her hands as she looked away from Eustass looking up at her, "I apologize that I hadn't recognized the connection earlier. I would have warned you to stay away from the cellar. I had sensed a surge of power, but I thought that it had been Hawkins' doing."

"I did use a spell, just after the spirit had been acting up." Hawkins frowned in thought, "It shouldn't cause us any trouble for at least a day. It needs time to recover."

"I found it odd that the spirit upstairs hasn't noticed the one that is in the basement. From what happened to Eustass, it is no doubt that the two spirits know one another." Perona quietly watched Law treating the facial wounds to Eustass' face for a moment, "Perhaps it is because the spirit has been distracted by you, Law." Perona turned and left the living room, and stopped next to the door to the cellar, where she laid a hand against the door, silent. Then, in a slightly raised voice to be audible to the others, she spoke again, "The spirit that is down there is even nastier than the other one, from what I can sense from the faint presence there. It almost feels as though the spirit is fed up with the living, and has no qualms about causing harm the living. The only one it doesn't seem to be as hostile to is the spirit that is upstairs."

"If I'm supposed to look like the ghost upstairs, that sure doesn't seem like it." Eustass muttered, breaking off to hiss in pain as Law dabbed disinfectant carefully along the knife wounds.

"Maybe it's like the ghost that has been bothering me. That it enjoys causing pain." Law set aside the disinfectant, and shook his head at the sight of the wound, "I'll use the stitches that I have, but you may need to go to the hospital, to get the rest of it taken care of."

Eustass ignored the hospital comment for the moment, "The ghost upstairs attacks you?"

Law gave Eustass a look, "Yes and it is interested in me because I look like the ghost downstairs. And the one upstairs looks like you." Law dug around in his kit, and raised a brow at Eustass, "I don't think you want to be awake when I stitch you up, do you?"

"Fuck you. I've been stitched up without any anesthetic before."

Perona headed back into the living room and, ignoring Eustass swearing as Law took him at his word, began to speak again, "The spirit downstairs is aware of us as well as the spirit upstairs, but the spirit that is upstairs is only aware of us. He doesn't appear to know that the spirit that is down in the cellar is the one he has been looking for, because he doesn't know that they are there."

Koala's voice came over a walkie talkie that Marco had strapped on his belt, _"That's kind of sad that the one ghost hasn't noticed the other, if he's been looking for him for so long."_

"Yes, it is sad. However, based on the actions of both of the spirits, they're only going to become more violent, and for different reasons. The spirit upstairs is likely to continue to try and draw the person he's looking for from Law, and the spirit downstairs is going to start to cause more trouble in an attempt to gain the attention of the other spirit." Perona shook her head, "I believe that the spirit upstairs is already attached to Law, so even if you were to leave the house, the spirit would follow after you."

Law finished bandaging Eustass' wounds, and glanced over at the medium, "Is there anything that can be done?"

Marco nodded, "If we could find the remains of one or both of the spirits, we could make them move on whether they want to or not. I normally don't like to force spirits into doing something they're not ready for, but for this, I would make an exception. It would be better to take care of sooner rather than later. And before the two spirits find one another."

Perona nodded her agreement, "They will likely become even more violent than before if they reunite with one another."

"And there is a higher probability of people dying, if something isn't done soon." Hawkins added after a moment's pause.

"Let's go to the cemetery. I will be able to sense the body if I can get close enough to it." Perona turned to Law, "And you should come with us." She didn't want Kid to latch himself onto the dark haired doctor while they were away.

"...All right..." Not that Law really wanted to go, but since it would get him out of the house, it would hopefully get him away from Kid for a short time.

Sabo poked his head into the living room, "Eustass, I want you to help me scan the rest of the house with the equipment. I want to see if there are any other abnormalities that are causing the ghosts to linger."

Koala's voice crackled over Sabo's phone's speaker, _"I can keep an eye on things from the van to let you know if there are any changes in the readings I'm already getting."_

"That's useful..." The red head muttered under his breath. Eustass wore a distinctly unhappy expression at the idea of spending any more time in the house, but decided not to argue, for now. He merely followed after Sabo, and half glanced to the side to watch Perona, Marco, Hawkins and Law leave the house.

-x-

Law stood silently on the sidewalk as he watched Hawkins walk the perimeter of the house, setting down two slips of paper on either side of the house in the front, and presumably in the back, though the dark haired doctor didn't see him.

When Hawkins returned to rejoin the group, he spoke, noticing Law's confused expression, "I set up a barrier. It will prevent the spirit that's attached to you from leaving the property for up to eight hours. Perhaps a bit longer, if it remains low in its power."

Law was relieved to hear that. Any amount of time without his ghostly tag-along was greatly appreciated. It would be even better if they found Kid's body, because the red haired ghost had definitely worn out his welcome, and Law was ready for him to leave him alone for good.

Hawkins followed along after the group to get into a second car that had been driven to the house, but stopped briefly to look back at the house. He turned away after a moment, deciding that he wasn't concerned for Sabo or Eustass. They would be out of danger so long as the spirits remained low in power. Besides, Hawkins doubted that they would be gone for very long from the house, so it shouldn't be an issue.

-x-

Kid watched the group leave, and he was immediately suspicious of their actions, as well as Hawkins', before they left the house. Kid felt that Sabo and his body double could be dealt with later, when the red haired ghost felt back to normal. Or as normal as Kid could feel when one was dead and a ghost.  Kid exited the house and crossed the front yard, intending to follow after the car that Law and the others had just left in. He had heard them mention something about bodies, and he didn't like the implications. Nor the fact that they were going to a cemetery.

Just as Kid was about to leave the property, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, as if he had run into an invisible wall. Kid strained to get past it, but the harder he pushed, the wearier he became, until he finally collapsed. Kid flopped away from the barrier that was still sapping what little energy he still had left, and cursed Hawkins for meddling. The bastard had somehow prevented him from leaving the house and its property. The red haired ghost hadn't known that that was even possible.

Kid fumed silently where he lay sprawled on the grass, wondering what the others were going to do if they found his body. Make him move on? Kid snorted. He had thought that perhaps that would be a better way to go than just hanging about all alone, but he had decided that he wasn't going to go anywhere until he saw _his_ Law, and those interlopers weren't going to stop him. Kid let an hour or so slip by, and by that time, it was almost fully dark, and he had regained some of the energy that he had lost. Kid stood silently, still puzzling over his predicament. Nothing had happened to him, yet, so that had to mean that Law and the others still hadn't found his body.

His body...

Kid didn't even know he'd been dead until some months...weeks...ago. Kid stifled an irritating wet cough against his right hand, and froze. That was it. The last real memory that Kidd had. The last thing he could remember...

Kid turned sharply on his heels and stomped across the lawn to the side of the house to go to the backyard, where he'd more or less avoided going since he had died.

He headed to the pond.

Had Kid been paying more attention, he would have noticed that someone else was following him. Would have sensed the satisfaction the other presence had.

-x-

Trafalgar knew that this time, this time he would be able to get Kid's attention. And he wasn't going to let go of the red head ever again as soon as he accomplished that. And once they were together again, they would lash out at the fools that had been bothering them. Trying to keep them apart. Trafalgar smiled as he trailed along after Kid, and knew that all of the waiting was finally over with.

-x-

Kid approached the pond slowly, before he came to a halt at the edge and studied the smooth surface. Kid looked to the side, at the ground, and sighed. He sighed even though he was dead and didn't really have to do the gesture, since it did nothing for him. Kid sighed again anyway, just because he could. Being dead felt so contradictory sometimes.

Kid closed his eyes as he stood tense before the pond. He'd hoped that some revelation would hit him, something that would answer his questions, but apparently not. Kid squeezed his right hand into a fist, before he resumed looking at the ground. After a few minutes slipped by, Kid let out a huff of irritation. This was stupid. Staring at the ground wasn't going to help him find any answers, just as it wasn't going to help him find where in the hell his lover was. If the medium woman had been right about him not being in the living Law, "Where the hell are you?" Kid mumbled quietly, as he started to think about how it was useless to try and find the Law he'd known. Kid was tired, and smashing himself against the barrier Hawkins had made had only weakened him even further. The energy he'd gained back had merely put him right back to how he'd felt after the long haired man had hit him with a spell. The one that had banished him from the other Law's body that he'd been possessing.

Kid sunk to the ground as sat down. A miserable mood swept over the red head, further discouraging him. Kid wondered if he really should just give up and let the others get rid of him. Make it so that he didn't exist anymore. So he didn't have to think anymore. Vanishing would be far better than the crushing feeling of loneliness. Kidd let his shoulders droop as he thought about the fact that he was likely to never see _his_ Law again, and hated how much it depressed him, "Dammit..."

Kid wondered if he was starting to lose it again, because he was utterly taken aback when warm, slender arms suddenly wrapped loosely around him from behind. The red head tensed further when it felt like a body pressed up close against his back. Kid held still, not daring to move or do anything for the moment. Was he imagining things again, as he had been before for all those long years? Kid felt one of the hands shift so that it could trail up along his bare chest lazily.

Even though it had been so long, Kid immediately recognized the touch, and his right hand shot up to grab the hand. The red haired ghost squeezed the hand tightly, not wanting to let it go for fear that the person behind him would vanish. An emotion that Kid didn't normally feel washed over him. Hope. Kid tried very hard not to let any emotion show on his face until he was absolutely certain of the person that was crouched on the ground and embracing him from behind.

"Trafalgar?" Kid breathed, not quite ready to believe. The hand that he was holding turned within his grasp to intertwine fingers with his own, before squeezing gently in response. A low laugh sounded, and Kid distinctly felt a head rest between his shoulder blades. And then Kid heard him, and he was so stupidly happy that he was sure that he had a horrendously lopsided grin on his face. But Kid didn't particularly care at this point.

Because the voice the red haired ghost heard was the one he had been longing to hear for all of those long and lonely years that he'd been waiting. Waiting for his dark haired lover to return to him.

"It's been awhile, Eustass-ya." The arms tightened around Kid's waist, as though the person that was there wasn't about to let the red head go either, "I've missed you."


	24. Two of a Kind

Kid kept a tight hold on the hand that was within his grasp, as if it would vanish if he were to let go. The red haired ghost twisted on his knees, and his lover, it had to be him, allowed him to by loosening the arms around Kid's waist. Even though he had no reason to breathe, Kid couldn't help but take a sharp breath when he turned around to face who had been behind him. The red haired ghost's hand twitched against the one he still held as he stared disbelievingly at the man kneeling before him. It was  _his_ Law, there was no doubt in Kid's mind at present, and the dark haired man was wearing that sexy smirk that Kid absolutely loved.

Trafalgar smiled at Kid's dumbfounded expression, and his head titled to the side as if to contemplate him. His red haired lover could be so entertaining, even after all of these years. Trafalgar's eyes danced with amusement as he spoke, knowing that Kid was paying rapt attention to anything that left his mouth, "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Kid reluctantly left off gazing at Trafalgar lustily as the other's words sunk in and the red head laughed shortly, "We _are_ ghosts." No, he wasn't imagining things this time. This was his Law all right.

Trafalgar smiled at Kid, pleased that the other man could finally see him after all the time that had gone by. The ghostly doctor shook his head, half in exasperation and half in fondness, "It took you long enough to figure it out. I was worried that you were going to continue to be oblivious. With you lording over the house and taking in the majority of the energy, I couldn't make myself known to you every easily. When I could gather enough energy, you dismissed me as if you were imagining things."

Kid shifted closer on his knees in an attempt to glimpse the expression on his lover's face. "You were the one making me think about the past?" The red haired ghost saw the slight nod, as well as the irritable look thrown his way. Kid averted his gaze, the other man's expression making him feel foolish. If it was Trafalgar that had been making him remember past events, then it have also meant that the light touches that Kid had felt along with those memories had been the dark haired man's doing as well. Kid's grasp slackened on Trafalgar's hand. But because Kid had been so adamant that the other Law had been the one he'd known, he hasn't realized it.

Trafalgar tightened his grasp on Kid's hand, almost as if he thought the other was going to let go and walk away, "I managed to get enough energy when you were out of the house, but I'd only been able to get the attention of the older teen. Though it did help that he had the ring that I had sent to you." Trafalgar took his time to give Kid a slow once-over, "Why didn't you sell it? You could have gotten a good sum for it."

Kid turned his head back to glance at Law, before he averted his gaze, "You were the one to send it to me. I thought that you might have been tryin' to tell me something."  The red head's voice trailed off.

Trafalgar let to of Kid's hand to move closer so that he could trail a hand down Kid's bare chest, fingertips mapping scars on the other's left side, as Trafalgar rested his head against Kid's nearest shoulder, "You're cute sometimes, Eustass-ya."

"Shut up."

Trafalgar knew that the red haired man didn't mean it, because Kid had just looped his artificial left arm around the dark haired ghost's back to hold him up against his chest.

Kid felt the need to keep his lover from seeing his face, because he knew that he had to be blushing faintly. Damn it all to hell. Trafalgar knew that he hated it when he called him endearing shit like that, because Kid didn't believe it for a second. Even if he did happen to like the way that the dark haired ghost said it in such a teasing way. Kid kept his left arm firmly against Trafalgar's back. Why the hell was he getting so flustered? He was a ghost; he shouldn't have so much trouble reigning in how he felt.

Trafalgar had known Kid long enough that he had a fairly good idea why the red head was suddenly holding him and preventing him from looking up at his face. Trafalgar loved that he could get under the other's skin like that. Despite Kid's scarred features and tough exterior, Trafalgar enjoyed causing the other man to become embarrassed and, on occasion, melt into a puddle of goo, provided he had enough time and he and Kid were alone.  Which the red head would later vehemently deny had happened, but as Trafalgar would have seen Kid boneless on the bed and sated, there wasn't much the red head could do to deny it anyway. And the dark haired ghost went out of his way to tease out those hidden sides, as most of the time Trafalgar had thought Kid incapable of such emotions from his outward appearance. Trafalgar decided he would take advantage of it now to tease his lover some more.

Trafalgar settled comfortably against Kid's chest with a sly smile, "I'm disappointed that you thought the other one was me."

Kid rested his cheek against Trafalgar's head, nuzzling the hair absently, "...Only because I thought you were in there somewhere."

Trafalgar let out a short laugh, "How much further were you going to go to _find_ me? Other than possessing Joker-ya and forcing him on the other me?"

Kid shrugged, absently wrapping his right arm around the dark haired ghost's back as well, "I would have kept making things more dangerous. I figured that I would have eventually get some response."

Trafalgar shook his head, although he allowed himself to enjoy being embraced. He hadn't been held in so long, but it felt as it always had when the red haired man held him. Right. Trafalgar peeked out of the corner of his eye at the pond, "Why did you decide to finally come to the backyard?"

"That other Law and the people with him are looking for my body. I think that they want to get rid of me." Kid mumbled, a little distracted now that he was holding and speaking to his lover.

Trafalgar indulged Kid's obvious desire to hold him close, but had to ask, "Did you think that your body was still in the pond?"

"No..."

Trafalgar smiled, though it wasn't in amusement, "Your body isn't there. I saw the police back then take your body out, but I don't know what they did with it."

Kid half glanced at the place in question, before he pulled away a bit to stare down at Trafalgar, "What happened that day...when I died?" The red haired ghost didn't like that his eyes weren't met by his lover's.  Instead, the other man's eyes were downcast and pointedly not looking at him. "Trafalgar?" Kid reluctantly released the dark haired ghost from his embrace when the other man rested a hand lightly against his chest. Kid knew that it meant that Trafalgar wanted space, and Kid gave it to him, even though he'd rather just continue to hold on to him.

Trafalgar's eyes darkened. Not at Kid but at the question that he had asked. The dark haired doctor hadn't thought he'd have to answer that particular question so soon, as he didn't like to think about that day too much. When Trafalgar finally responded, it was in a soft tone that lacked any sort of emotion or inflection,"I died that day as well."

Whatever response Kid had expected, that was not it. He remained silent, however, as Kid knew that the other man was likely to stop speaking if he interrupted.

Trafalgar offered Kid the faintest hint of a smile before he lost it and continued on, the blank expression back in place, "I was going to pull you out of the water that day. I knew you didn't like it when I did that, because of the one time you nearly drowned when you'd been pitched off your ship. I loved that you let me do it anyway, and I would have never done it that day if I had known that my trail had been picked up."

"Your trail?" Kid knew that he shouldn't have interrupted but that brought up memories of a question he'd asked weeks earlier, before that day when they had both died. The red haired ghost looked at Trafalgar accusingly, matching the other man's scowl with his own, "I _asked_ you if people were coming after you because you were selling off dead or dying patient body parts. But you just smiled at me and told me not to worry about it."

Trafalgar looked like he wanted to argue, but merely shook his head, "I knew that if I told you, you would have wanted to be with me all the time, and I couldn't have you at the hospital, because that would have been suspicious."

"No one questioned me when I went in the hospital that one time to keep Doflamingo from pounding that giant cock of his into you." Kid growled in response, taking a step toward his dark haired lover, "You never did explain why that bastard cornered you, because you were normally more careful than that. You knew that he was after you."

Trafalgar's blank expression had turned into an irritated one, "I couldn't just not go to work, and you were injured at the time, so no one was about to stop you when you looked half crazed with pain." He lifted a hand to prevent Kid from getting any closer, "Leave it for now, Eustass-ya. I do not want to think about that day. Ever." When he saw Kid relent, in the way that his shoulders dropped, Trafalgar continued, a faint smile reappearing on his face at the other's actions, "As I was saying, some people, acting on orders from the families of patients that I'd taken organs from found me. They didn't give me a chance to react. They shot me and I lost my grip on you." Trafalgar drew his hand along Kid's chest absently, his smile gone once more, "The bullet punctured one of my lungs, and I couldn't breathe."

The dark haired ghost's hand dropped away from Kid's chest, "I couldn't fight back as they took me into the house. Into the cellar. I was losing blood, quickly, and I couldn't prevent them from putting me in the shallow hole they'd dug behind the boiler." Trafalgar closed his eyes, "I couldn't dig myself out of it once they shoveled the dirt over me to seal the hole back up. I tried, but I wasn't able to get out. I lost consciousness, either from lack of oxygen, the blood in my lung or both."

Trafalgar stepped away from Kid before he opened his eyes, "I knew that I was dead when I was able to move around the house and the yard. I saw the authorities at the time pull your body out of the pond later and knew there wasn't any chance that you survived that. I saw your ghost wandering the house, but I couldn't get your attention. And it was torture when I finally realized that you didn't know that you were dead. And then both of us were waiting."

Kid saw Trafalgar's expression become haunted, and knew that for now, the other man was through talking about the past. So was he, for that matter. Kid moved before he really thought about it and had Trafalgar against him and in his arms again in a tight, crushing hug. The red haired ghost was never one to actually comfort anyone, but for his lover, he tried, even if it was still found it hard to do. Kid hadn't exactly given thought to how lonely Trafalgar must have been feeling all of those years too.

"You're not usually so clingy like this, Eustass-ya." The dark haired doctor teased, though he did nothing to try and pull away from the embrace.

Kid, with no real malice in his voice, growled lowly, "Shut up." There was a long stretch of silence, before the red haired ghost spoke, "I thought for sure that you were in that other Law. That you were just fucking around with me like you used to."

"And when you realized that you were dead?" Trafalgar questioned, resting his head against Kidd's shoulder.

"I still thought that you were in there somewhere." Kid mumbled, a little distracted when Trafalgar pressed up against him further.

"And now?"

The sly tone the dark haired man's voice has taken on made a shudder pass through Kid, and it took him a moment to reply. When he did, it was in a breathless tone, "You're here, so you weren't."

Trafalgar let out a disgruntled sound when Kid hoisted him up and held him there with his arms beneath his thighs and more importantly, his ass. Trafalgar scowled a little when he felt Kid squeeze said ass, but nonetheless wrapped his legs around the other man's waist, where he let his heels dig into Kid's back. The dark haired ghost raised a brow at the grinning red head holding him, "And what exactly do you think you're doing? I don't see a wall anywhere nearby, and you know I hate it when you fuck me against one anyway. It's uncomfortable." Trafalgar rested his hands on Kid's shoulders to steady himself further, and met his lover's eyes.

Kid squeezed the other man's ass again, grinning at the look of exasperation that crossed Trafalgar's face, "Don't look at me like that. I know that you like it rough sometimes. The last time I used a wall was only because you told me to." The glare Kid received made him grin further, and he leaned in close to brush Trafalgar's lips with his own, before retreating with a bigger grin, "And couldn't I just be holding you like this because I feel like it?"

Trafalgar tilted his head and leaned forward, smirking, "You could, but I think you just want to get my clothes off now, even though we're both ghosts and would only be feeling sensations that we remember." Trafalgar fell silent as he met Kid's lips, and moved his arms to wrap around the red haired man's neck, legs tightening and digging further into the other man's back.

Kid readjusted his grip on Trafalgar as the dark haired man deepened their kiss and seemed to be trying to devour him. It appeared that way, with how desperately Trafalgar had forced his tongue into the red haired man's mouth to ravish him as thoroughly as he was able to. Kid didn't mind, because he was finally holding and kissing his lover that he hadn't seen in what seemed like ages. And it wasn't like either of them actually needed to breathe because they were both dead. Kid left out a soft moan into the kiss, and the sound only made Trafalgar wrap his limbs around him even tighter than before. Kid was rather disappointed when his lover drew back from their kiss, and it must have shown, because he merely received a secretive, closed lipped smile, and guessed that the other man wanted him to say something. Kid was silent for a moment, before he smiled smugly and moved one hand slightly, meeting the other's eyes, "I have an idea."

Trafalgar shifted as he felt his lover squeeze his ass, again, and saw the playfulness in the other's gaze. The dark haired ghost couldn't help but smile at Kid, "If your idea involves us both getting naked, wouldn't it be better to do that if we possess our doppelgängers? I'd rather feel you than just experience the sensations." Trafalgar's smile became a teasing smirk, "The other Law will have to come back sometime today, and your body double is inside the house right now." The dark haired ghost's smirk because a little twisted, "Why don't we start with him? I can show you how to do draw energy from around you more effectively, so you can stay in possession of someone else's body for longer." Seeing Kid's confused expression, Trafalgar leaned forward to kiss him once more, "Get moving. I'll explain when you possess the other Eustass-ya. And we can deal with that wavy haired blond while we're at it."

Kidd felt Trafalgar drop his legs, and he carefully set the other man down, "How am I supposed to possess him if I don't have any energy?"

Trafalgar reached up a hand and patted Kid's shoulder, "I'll help you drain his energy down, and then you can possess him. He should still be worn out from when I drew his energy earlier."

Kid narrowed his eyes at his lover with mock disapproval, "And what were you doing with him?"

"Playing. Thinking about what I was going to do to you when I got my hands on you." Trafalgar said with a glint in his eyes as he looked the red head over slowly.

Kid shivered a little despite the fact that he was dead, "What kind of things?"

Trafalgar headed for the house, casting a sly look over his shoulder at Kidd, "Like how I was going to punish you for being such an ignorant idiot. How I was going to screw you into that mattress down in the cellar while I cut you up a...!" The ghostly doctor was cut off as Kid closed the distance between them and crashed their lips together in a frantic kiss. Trafalgar made a displeased noise as Kid scooped him up again and started to carry him toward the house.

When Kid was in the house and had decided to release his lover from the near violent kiss, he noted that Trafalgar was smirking in that sexy way of his again. Kid decided to complain just a little as they looked for his doppelganger, "It's not fair that you can turn me on so much when we're dead, you son of a bitch."

Trafalgar ran his hands through his lover's red hair absently before he leaned up and kissed Kid's nearest cheek, before slapping it lightly, "You're just easy to tease, Eustass-ya. Now set me down." When he had his feet planted firmly on the ground, or as firmly as a ghost could, Trafalgar flicked his gaze up at Kid, "Ready?" Seeing Kid's wolfish grin, the two of them began to scour the house, and in no time at all, knew that Eustass was up in the master bedroom, and Sabo was in the living room.

The two ghosts drifted up, mirroring one another's eerie smiles as they went to corner Eustass, who was unaware of their approach, until it was too late to do anything about it, or to escape.

-x-

The phone started to ring.

Sabo eyed it for a moment, before he answered it, as he figured that he could take a message for Law, "Hello?"

_"Who is this? Your voice doesn't sound familiar."_ The voice was more curious than interested.

"I'm just a visitor."

The man on the other end of the line laughed, _"Fufufufu. I guess you don't want to tell me your name. That's fine. Is Law there?"_

"No, he's out at the moment." Sabo picked up a voice recorder. The man's voice sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't place it.

_"He isn't handling all the paranormal phenomena well?"_ The man sounded amused now.

"No, and neither is Eustass. He already had the other ghost that's here feel him up, or something like that, down in the cellar."

There was a short silence, before the man chuckled again, as if he found this information interesting, _"There are_ two _ghosts?"_

"Apparently, though I have yet to see any proof of it." Which irritated Sabo to no end that the cameras and audio devices hadn't picked anything up yet.

_"And the red head being felt up doesn't count as proof?"_ The other man sounded gleeful for some odd reason.

"You know Eustass?"

_"In a way."_ The voice said vaguely, before abruptly changing topics, _"I'll try calling Law's cell phone. If he remembered to bring it with him."_

The line went dead.

Sabo hung the phone up, frowning. He'd finally remembered where he'd heard the voice, and who it belonged to. Doflamingo. But why would a criminal mastermind like him want to speak to Law? Sabo supposed that it was something he could pass along to Dragon, and let the other man do what he would with the information. Doflamingo was hard to pin down because he had so many layers of security. Sabo put the conversation to the back of his mind as he rewound the voice recorder to listen to the playback.

Sabo frowned as he went through some of the static that had been recorded on his voice recorder, but any voices that may have been coming from it were so scatted that he had to dismiss the EVPs that could have been there. It was frustrating that even with all of the equipment set up, there had been no recorded data, even though something had happened to Eustass.

Koala hadn't seen anything of note either.

Sabo noticed footsteps coming down the stairs from the second floor, but knew that it was just Eustass. It sounded like the red head was coming to pester him, and Sabo wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with him. The blond glanced up when Eustass walked into the room, but remained seated on the couch as he fiddled with a camera, "What is it Eustass? Did you find something up there?" A chill went up Sabo's spine when Eustass broke into a dangerous smile, and spoke. It sounded wrong, even though it sounded just like Eustass' voice.

"I'm not the Eustass that you know."

Before that statement could sink in, Sabo shivered as a cold swept over him, and found he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything to protest when Eustass came over to him and sat down next to him. He was confused, for a moment, when Eustass turned his attention to the other side of the couch, and spoke, "You wanna play with him while we wait for the other Law to come back?"

Sabo thought he heard an echo of someone laugh and then say something, and he shivered again as he felt someone rest up against him from behind. Something invisible to his eyes. Sabo's attention was drawn from that presence by Eustass, who seized him by the chin, even though his words were not directed to the blond, "No, I don't wanna have you possess him. I'd rather torture him a bit. I haven't gotten to do that in awhile. It'd pass the time." The cold retreated for just an instance, and Sabo threw himself to the side, and away from Eustass.

Sabo surged to his feet for the exit to the living room. His mind didn't want to accept it, but the blond felt that Eustass had been possessed by one of the ghosts, and that ghost was speaking through the red head to the other ghost. He needed to warn the others. He needed to get Hawkins and the others back to the house. The ghosts were stronger than all of them had believed. At this point, he wasn't even sure if they were ghosts at this point, if they could possess a person.  Sabo just barely made it out of the living room when a body collided with his from behind, and brought him to the ground. Sabo kicked backward, but the cold settled around him again, all but freezing him in place as he felt Eustass...the ghost possessing Eustass...wrapped his arms tightly around him as he lifted him up.

"Hey, Trafalgar, why don't you choke him out? I'd rather not have him squirming until I want him to."

Sabo felt the cold settle around his throat, and when he felt what was like hands there, he hastily yelled as loudly as he could, "Koala! Get Hawkins!"

-x-

Koala heard the cry, and hurriedly left the van to enter the house, only to be there in time to see Eustass carrying Sabo into the cellar and the door slamming shut. Koala raced over to the door, but couldn't open it. "Sabo..." What was going on? What was Eustass doing? Koala raced back outside and after slamming the back of the van shut, got into the driver's seat and started it up. The cemetery. She needed to get there, and quick.

The look that Eustass had given her had been rather disturbing. Wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Had Koala been paying more attention than just to the road that she sped along, she would have noticed a weary-looking Law walking down the sidewalk and back in the direction of the house as she pulled up to the cemetery. And by the time she found Hawkins and the others in the cemetery, it would already be too late for them to get to the house before Law did.

Or for them to find a way into the room where Kid and Trafalgar were.


	25. The Hidden Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to go ahead and post all of the chapters, and then go back and edit when I have the time so this fic isn't just sitting here unfinished. AKA its gonna be 200,000+ words.

Kidd was pleased that he was able to retain control of the body that he was possessing. It had earned him one of Trafalgar's dark, sexy smirks when he'd dumped the partially conscious Sabo onto the ground. The red haired man checked to see if the wavy haired blond was going to try and run, but it appeared that the energy drain from Trafalgar's icy touch had rendered Sabo into a state of exaggerated weariness. Like he'd run a marathon and could physically no longer move without the effort being painful until the body had had the chance to rest. That was good enough for Kidd, and he turned to go over to where his dark haired lover's ghost was leaning up against the nearby wall, and looking over the items on the shelf before him.

Trafalgar slid a glance Kidd's way, before his attention went back to the second shelf, where all of the sharp blades were lined up according to size and function. The dark haired ghost didn't remember it being that way before. Of course, there was only one possible culprit, as he certainly hadn't done it. Trafalgar frowned, trying to figure out the thought process of his lover that would lead him to do something like that. Kidd wasn't exactly the patient type, and was more libel to leave things lying around haphazardly, "Why are they all lined up like that?"

Kidd barely looked at what Trafalgar was staring at, as he was far more interested in taking in the sight of his lover's puzzled expression. It was almost...cute...when Trafalgar couldn't figure out simple things. The red head inched closer until he was up alongside his lover, where he leaned against the wall to gaze at his profile appreciatively. The bandages over one of his eyes kind of messed with his vision, but as long as he could see with the uncovered right eye, it was fine. Kidd grinned at the furrowed brow and slightly disgruntled expression Trafalgar wore. Kidd rested his head against the wall, still staring at the other, and didn't particularly care if he looked like a love struck fool, "I was bored. It was something to do to pass the time."

Trafalgar smiled at that, and his head tilted slightly to the side to eye Kidd, "And you thought arranging weapons and surgical equipment would relieve your boredom?"

Kidd merely smirked back, "It helped that I thought of all of the things I could do with each of them." Seeing Trafalgar raise a brow, the red haired man added, with a slightly demented smile, "I thought about which ones were the best for killing people. Which would be most likely to prolong pain while torturing someone. Which ones you used at the hospital when you would..." Kidd trailed off at that, noting the immediate change in his lover's demeanor. The sharp, almost angry look that had been turned on him. Kidd fully expected some verbal lashing for whatever he'd said wrong, but luckily for him, Sabo began to stir before Trafalgar could voice why he'd suddenly had a mood shift.

Trafalgar got to Sabo before Kidd could, and prevented Sabo from rising by wrapping his arms around the blond and shocking him with his cold touch. Trafalgar glanced over his shoulder at Kidd, and offered a half smile, "Don't you think that we should chain him to the wall so he can't run?"

Kidd nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He knew that Trafalgar was upset about something he'd said, but Kidd couldn't think of why. At least not off the top of his head, and certainly not right now with the prospect of taking out his frustrations on nosy living people trying to bother them. Kidd grabbed Sabo by the collar and dragged him the few feet to the brick wall, and handcuffed the blond's wrists none too gently to the wall, where there was a short chain attached to the brick wall four feet up from the ground.

Trafalgar settled on the ground next to Sabo again as he spoke absently, "Why don't you go pick something out from the shelf and put it over the fire? We wouldn't want him to get an infection, would we?" Trafalgar's smile quirked up at some distant thought, before he amended his words, "Actually, get a scalpel."

Kidd didn't bother arguing with his lover. He seemed to be getting back into a better mood, so he'd rather keep it that way. Another time Kidd would have pushed him, but from past experience, that was a dangerous game. The last time he had done that, Kidd had lost most of his left arm. The red head considered whether or not Trafalgar would go that far if he pushed him just a bit in that moment, and decided to test it slightly, "A scalpel?"

"Yes, Eustass-ya."

Kidd went without another word to get a scalpel. He'd heard the curt reply, and decided that he wasn't quite ready for Trafalgar to get extreme in his affections quite yet. Kidd didn't mind the dark haired man's sadistic tendencies, but decided he didn't want them to appear quite so soon. Later, perhaps. Kidd lingered by the shelf as he set a scalpel aside to heat in the small fire he'd made in the small fireplace in the far right corner of the room. Kidd had already cleaned the blade with some anti bacterial substance that had been down on another shelf. Whether it was of any use was anyone's guess. The red haired man remained standing there by the fire, until he decided that the scalpel had been heated enough for the blade to appear orange white on the top two inches.

Kidd considered the scalpel in his hand as he turned away from the small fireplace. He felt that his energy level, while still high, needed a bit of a boost. He had been able to wear Eustass down enough to remain in possession of the other's body, but it wasn't as easy as he'd thought to retain control. Kidd crossed the room to join Trafalgar on the far side of the room, to drain some of Sabo's energy.

Trafalgar noticed Kidd's approach, and pressed himself close against Sabo's right side. He was already drawing out energy from the blond, but if Kidd needed a boost, there was more than enough left in Sabo to siphon out. The dark haired man used both arms to pin the wavy blond haired man further up against the wall as he watched Kidd's approach with the scalpel, and offered a more genuine smile from before, "Did you clean it before you heated it?"

Kidd snorted as he knelt down in front of Sabo, deciding that his lover's question didn't need a response. It got him a bit of an annoyed glance, but he merely shrugged and reached out his left hand. He pinned Sabo's head to the wall, tilted sideways, so that the left side of his face was easily accessible. Kidd tightened his grasp of the blond's hair when Sabo tried to move away.

Trafalgar pressed himself closer to Sabo when there was a faint noise of protest, even though he was now close to passing out, "Do it now, Eustasss-ya. Like how I told you earlier. And pay attention to where you put the blade. Your depth perception is likely to be off with one of your eyes covered up."

Sabo was trying his best to wrap his mind around what was happening to him, but it was just so surreal that he was having difficulty accepting it. When he had come over to Law's house to investigate the house, Sabo had never imagined any of this as something that could possibly happen. The wavy haired blond shuddered as the ghost next to him pressed against him further, and he felt as though he were being doused in freezing cold water. He couldn't get away, and he'd squeezed his eyes shut when he saw Kidd raise the scalpel in his hand. Sabo had a feeling what the two were up to, and he was too weakened from loss of energy to do anything other then let out a soft groan as he felt the scalpel rest against his cheek, just below his left eye.

Sabo clenched his left hand into a fist, shaking further when he felt the heat of the sharp surgical instrument against his cheek. Forget haunted houses, this was bordering on living in a horror movie with serial killers stalking their victims, cornering them, and subjecting them to horrible pain before killing them. But Sabo wasn't in a movie. He wasn't imagining things. Sabo felt the scalpel make a cut, and he writhed within Trafaglar's grasp, as well as Kidd's hand pinning his head in place. Sabo couldn't believe that this was actually happening to him, and when the pain began to set in, Sabo's only thought was that he was immensely relieved that the other two men had left Koala alone.

Kidd grinned eerily as he brought the red hot scalpel against the Sabo's cheek again beneath his left eye, and dug the blade down lightly, his grin widening when the blond finally let out a cry of pain. Kidd let his left hand rest more heavily against Sabo's head as he moved the scalpel along the skin, and cut in shallowly next to the first cut, and drew forth another thin strip of flesh. Kidd tossed it aside in the corner with the other, and frowned at the reddened skin beneath. The red haired man slid a glance over to Trafalgar, "Why isn't there more blood? Isn't it supposed to drip down?"

"You don't want him to pass out right away, do you?" Trafalgar asked slyly, smiling at his lover's now frowning visage.

"I suppose not." Kidd absently lifted the scalpel to above Sabo's eye, ignoring the faint whimper that issued from the blond, "Make sure to hold him still."

-x-

Law felt that it was taking a long time to get back to the house, though he had guessed that would be the case, as he was walking instead of taking a vehicle. He knew that it probably wasn't the best idea to return to the house on his own. Hawkins and Marco had even advised against it, but Law had gone anyway. Perona had mentioned that having a personal item that had belonged to Kidd would make it easier to locate where his body was buried. Law had told them that he would only go to the house long enough to get the item he'd thought of, and that he would be right back as soon as he'd found it.

Law nearly jumped when his cell phone began to ring, and he took a moment to calm his breathing before he slipped his hand into his pocket and answered the call. Before the dark haired man could even say anything, the person on the other end of the line spoke first.

_'Law?'_

Law continued on his way back to the house, unsurprised at who had just called him, "Doflamingo-ya? Why are you calling me this late at night? And if it's for a job, I'm busy tonight."

_'You're always so suspicious, and always before I've even said anything to you to deserve it.'_ Doflamingo sounded entertained by Law's assumption, before it mellowed out as he asked a question,  _'A_ re _you planning on going back to the house tonight? I talked to one of your visitors there, and he said you were out.'_

Law frowned at that, thinking it was an odd question. And it hadn't answered anything he'd asked of the blond. "Briefly." Which meant as long as it took to find that ring, and get the hell out before Kidd could try and make a move on him. Or worse, for the ghost that looked like him to start to bother him as well.

_'Fufufufu. Be careful of the ghosts that are there, then.'_ Doflamingo's laugh was soft, his voice tinged with amusement.

"I thought that you didn't believe in ghosts," Law commented dryly, as he turned a corner, and onto the street the house he rented was on.

_'_ I _never said one way or another. I may have merely implied it in a way that made you think that.'_ Doflamingo chuckled at some private thought, " _I'll call back tomorrow. That is, if you're still yourself. Otherwise, I doubt you will answer my call.'_

The line went dead as Doflamingo hung up.

Law shook his head, confused. What an odd conversation to have with the other man. It probably meant nothing, so Law wasn't about to think too much about the other's words. The dark haired man continued down the sidewalk, thinking that it was taking a lot longer getting back than he had thought it would without a car.

-x-

Waking up was harder than it ought to have been. All one had to do was open their eyes after what seemed like only a few brief minutes, when in reality it had been hours and hours.

While Ace knew that he was awake, it was getting his body to realize it that was taking longer than normal. His breathing was restricted, and he felt something in his mouth, and something poking into one arm. The freckled teen shifted minutely, before holding completely still as something pulled on his back. Well, he was lying on his stomach on a bed that wasn't his own. He knew that because the stupid twin bed felt as hard as a rock. The bed he was currently on wasn't much better, but it was different enough to let him know he wasn't still in the house.

Ace finally managed to slit his eyes open, and the world was bleary as he blinked a few times, before things began to come into focus. The next thing that he noticed now that he had his sight to help take in things was that he was in a white looking room with a shit ton of medical supplies strewn about. A hospital, then. Ace's eyes widened as his memory caught up with him. Law. Law had been possessed or something, and had attacked himself and Luffy. A stranger had showed up to help. Had said that Luffy was safe. Ace couldn't remember anything after that until he'd woken up just now...

"ACE! You're awake!"

Ace grunted as arms wrapped around the visible part of his body that wasn't beneath the sheets, and grunted as his younger brother's half hug jostled him and the hospital stuff that he was hooked up to. Ace grimaced as his back was brushed unintentionally, and made a grunting, exasperated sound at his brother. He was relieved when Luffy took the hint, but felt a bit guilty at Luffy looking worried, as if he'd done something wrong. Ace wanted to tell him it was fine, but the breathing tube in his mouth prevented it. As soon as he noticed it, he wanted it gone. His breathing wasn't that bad, was it?

"The nurse said you might take longer to wake up." Luffy said, and crouched next to the bed so he could look up at his brother's face. He looked for any annoyance at his earlier actions and found none, so he grinned as he spoke his next words, "Grandpa was here for a few hours, but he just left."

Ace made some sort of motion with the hand he could maneuver the easiest, and motioned at his back.

"Oh, that long haired guy got the ghost to leave Law alone, but he fainted too. I think he left the hospital around the same time that Garp did." Luffy stood up. "I'm supposed to tell the nurse when you wake up."

Ace watched him go, before he let his head rest on the bed. He didn't have quiet for long, because a sneering voice spoke to him. It was distant and echoed, but Ace recognized it all the same.

_'Hmpf, too bad I'm using most of my energy to show up here, otherwise I'd get rid of the both of you.'_

Ace's eyes snapped open, and he glanced around, until his eyes fell on the far side of the room, in the shadows that were there. The older teen's jaw clenched around the breathing tube, but since there wasn't much he could do, he settled for staring at the red headed ghost.

Kidd's sneer deepened at the sight. He really wanted to go over there and suck out Ace's energy, but Trafalgar had told him not to take too long, and to not draw any more unnecessary attention to himself. Kidd supposed that that included leaving a dead body behind, so he settled for taunting the incapacitated teen,  _'Don't get too comfortable. As soon as I figure out how, I'm going to finish what I started, and get rid of you and your brother for meddling.'_ Kidd vanished from view.

Ace was calm as the nurse came into the room with Luffy, and automatically did whatever was asked of him. His mind was whirling with what he could do about the red haired ghost, but nothing seemed useful.

Two hours later, and Ace was wide awake with a plan. Kidd was likely stuck in the house, as he'd had to leave the hospital and hadn't been able to linger there for very long. Ace knew what he was going to do, so he did, despite the fact that he was supposed to stay in the hospital another week for treatment and observation. But for this, Ace was willing to get himself more hospital time, to make sure that his brother would be safe from any ghostly attacks.

Luffy wouldn't realize that Ace had snuck out of the hospital until he woke the next morning, and by then a number of things would have already happened. Including Ace setting fire to the house in an attempt to destroy the ghosts that were tied to it.

-x-

Law was mildly frustrated. He'd been in the house for only a few minutes, and he still hadn't been able to find the ring. He'd noticed it when he'd come back from the hospital later on in the day, and figured that someone had dropped it, as he'd never seen the silver and gold ring before. Law had made the assumption that it perhaps belonged to Kidd, as there didn't appear to be anything else in the house that had been the red head's belongings. The ring definitely didn't belong to Crocodile or Doflamingo, and Ace and Luffy were too young to be interested in such things. Which left it as something that must have shown up, and perhaps Kidd had dug it out when he thought that Law was the person that he had known.

The dark haired man decided that he wasn't exactly getting anything done standing in the middle of the front hall. Law lifted his gaze, where it settled on the small door to the cellar and stared at it for a moment, before sighing. Law really didn't want to linger, but he wondered if the ring was down in the cellar, as that was the only place he hadn't checked since he'd come back into the house. Law crossed the few steps that it took to get him to the door, and he opened it. He stooped to go down the stairs slowly, and told himself that he wouldn't stay down there for long. Just a quick peek to see if the ring was there. Besides, Law figured that Kidd should have still been lower in power, at least for a little while longer.

Law searched the entire cellar as best he could in the dim light provided by the light he'd turned on as he went down the stairs, but after a few tense minutes, he was unable to locate the ring. The dark haired man shivered as he thought that since he wasn't getting anywhere in his search, that he should probably just cut his losses and leave, before Kidd showed himself. Law was just about to go back up the stairs, when he heard knocking, as he had all those months ago. Law half turned, and heard another knock sound just a bit heavier against the other side of the door in the cellar that he couldn't get to open.

Against his better judgment, Law turned away from the stairs, and walked over to the door. Law paused before it, and spoke coolly, blunt and to the point, "Marco and the others are going to get rid of you, and hopefully the other ghost that is in this house as well." The dark haired doctor thought he heard an intake of breath and a low murmur of voices, but figured that he had just imagined it as he headed back toward the stairs. But as Law took a few steps away, he heard a click, and half froze at the sound of a door sliding open behind him.

Law didn't like the implications of something opening behind him, and he was about to break into a run when two muscular arms looped around his waist. The arms held fast, and stopped the dark haired man in his tracks. Law felt the arms tighten around his waist to the point of it being painful, and he shook slightly as the red haired ghost's voice spoke from directly behind him.

"I'm not done with you yet." Kidd growled, displeased that this Law had threatened that something might happen to his lover as well. With an easy tug, Kidd pulled his captive backward and into the room behind him.

The door slid back into place, cutting short Law's horrified cry.

-x-

Kidd paced back and forth impatiently, more or less ignoring the passed out and bleeding Sabo on the opposite side of the room. The red haired man was far more concerned with the sight of Law lying motionless on the mattress in the corner of the room, away from the sliding door. Kidd found it funny as hell that Law had passed out due to shock as he'd brought him into the room and slid the door back in place.

The red haired man briefly scanned the room. He didn't know where his lover had gotten to, but since he couldn't see him, Kidd assumed that Trafalgar was going to try and possess the other Law. Kidd knew that whatever the dark haired ghost was doing, that he wasn't going to keep him waiting. It did take some effort to possess a body, after all. Kidd stopped pacing as soon as he noticed Law begin to stir on the sheets that Kidd had put on the mattress earlier. Kidd's eye that wasn't covered by bandages was drawn to the other's face as the doctor's own eyes flickered open slowly.

Kidd edged closer to Law, and looked down at him as the dark haired man sat upright on the mattress. Law leaned up against the wall behind it, letting out a faint sigh as he did. As soon as their eyes met, a smile lit Kidd's entire face. He could tell that Trafalgar had been successful in possessing his doppelganger's body. Kidd wasn't surprised; the other man had been unconscious, and therefore should have been much easier to possess.

Kidd held perfectly still as he watched his lover. The red haired man was not entirely certain what kind of a mood the other was in due to what he'd said that seemed to have upset the other man earlier. Kidd also didn't want to rush things now that they would be able to finally interact with one another in living bodies. The red haired man needn't have worried, because the dark haired doctor wasn't about to make him wait any longer.

Trafalgar's lips curved up into an inviting smile as he lifted his right hand and beckoned his lover forward with one finger, "Are you going to just stand there and stare, Eustass-ya?"

Kidd needed no second bidding, as he instantly moved toward Trafalgar and all but crawled onto the mattress. With one swift movement on his part, Kidd had Trafalgar pinned up against the wall while he wrapped him in a loose hug. The red haired man nuzzled his head beneath the other's chin as he muttered, "Don't do that hand thing. It's too fucking sexy when you look at me like that as it is." All teasing was promptly forgotten as Kidd concentrated on the warm, breathing body that he held wrapped in his arms. It was better than Kidd thought it would be. The dark haired man had been right about sensations as a ghost falling short of the real thing. Being in a live body was much better, and from the way that Trafalgar wrapped his arms around him tightly in return, the other man was in agreement. Kidd grinned happily as he rested more heavily against his lover, and spoke quietly against his shoulder, "I hope that you can keep up with me, Trafalgar."

The dark haired doctor's soft laughter in return was all that Kidd needed to hear, and the red haired man smiled in anticipation of what was to follow.


	26. Intoxicating

Trafalgar allowed Kidd to embrace him in the crushing hug he'd been drawn into, and settled his head against the red head's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Trafalgar had had enough for the time being. It was partially because he was unused to the other man really showing such obvious affection for him in so little a time. Not that Trafalgar minded Kidd being more honest about how he felt. Normally he would have had to drag it out of him. Trafalgar shifted uncomfortably and voiced the other reason he wanted to be let go of. He was having some trouble breathing due to how tightly Kidd was holding him, "Eustass-ya, I can't  _breathe_." Trafalgar felt the red haired man hastily let go of him, and took in a few breaths. The dark haired man noted the faint smirk on his lover's face and knew that the pressure of the hug had been intentional.

Trafalgar gave Kidd a displeased glare, "Can't that kind of thing wait until later?" Since he could breathe in this body, Trafalgar preferred to not have it cut off so soon. He'd indulge Kidd's still apparent desire to hang onto him later.

"I felt like it." Kidd knew it was an evasive answer, and had done it because he knew it would annoy the other man. Kidd grinned at the faint scowl Trafalgar threw him, before the red head inched forward along the sheets. Kidd was intent on rewrapping his arms around the dark haired doctor's back, only to have Trafalgar scoot backwards away from him, his smirk suddenly back in place.

Trafalgar rested against the wall again, and once Kidd was close enough, reached up to absently trail his hands along the red haired man's forearms. The jacket that Kidd wore was smooth, and the dark haired doctor took a few moments to admire the play of muscle beneath the fabric when he gently squeezed the other's upper arms. Trafalgar felt Kidd mirror his movements, though it was only in an effort to try and wrap his arms around the other man again. Kidd had been slowly encroaching on the doctor's personal space, as if he wanted to slide onto the other's lap from where he had let his legs stretched out on the mattress. Trafalgar rested his back more heavily against the wall, when Kidd tried to draw him back to him.

The dark haired doctor brushed the red haired man's arms from his own as he lifted his hands to Kidd's face. Trafalgar turned the other's head to one side, and then the other, inspecting the bandages wrapped around Kidd's forehead, where it covered his left eye and the wounds that Trafalgar had made to Eustass' body. Trafalgar frowned, "I suppose the guy whose body this belongs to did what he could with the medical supplies that he had."

Kidd's visible eye narrowed when the other man began running his hands along the bandages, and he grabbed them to stop Trafalgar's progress, "Shit! Leave it alone! It's been feeling sore ever since I possessed this body."

"Let go, and hold still," Trafalgar responded, and felt as Kidd let go of his hands reluctantly. The dark haired doctor ran his hands carefully over the bandages again, before apparently coming to some internal decision. With a few gentle tugs, Trafalgar maneuvered the bandages around Kidd's head, and with a few more deft movements, was able to make it so that the left eye was visible. Trafalgar smiled at Kidd's strained expression, and the dark haired doctor's smirk grew as he acted as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary, "I'll have to take a look at the wounds later to see if the stitches are set correctly."

Kidd blinked the left eye, and immediately winced when it pulled at some of the stitches beneath the bandages. The red haired man glared at Trafalgar, "You just want to cause me some pain, don't you? Why the fuck do you want my eye uncovered?" Kidd noted that Trafalgar's smirk was still in place, and it pissed him off to no end that he already knew the response he would receive. And knew it the moment Trafalgar opened his mouth.

"Do you really want me to answer that? You should at least be smart enough to figure it out." Receiving a blank, faintly pained look from his lover, Trafalgar sighed, before he smiled again, "Wouldn't you rather deal with some slight pain so that you're able to see me with both of your eyes?"

"I could see you just fine with one," Kidd responded, hesitating between wanting to swat Trafalgar or crush him up against the wall in another hug.

"I know…" Trafalgar slid away from the wall, and onto his hands and knees as he leaned in toward Kidd, "…but isn't it more difficult for you to check me out with just one eye?" The dark haired doctor's smirk grew when he noticed Kidd shift backward, avoiding his gaze. Damn, Trafalgar had forgotten how much he loved to tease this man. He had some of the most interesting reactions. Trafalgar moved after Kidd across the bed, tilting his head to get a good look at the red head's face, "I'd almost forgotten that you can become embarrassed about certain things."

Kidd bristled at that and turned his head to glower at Trafalgar, "I do not..." The red head stopped speaking as Trafalgar invaded his personal space this time, and was backed into the wall as the dark haired doctor crawled onto his lap.

"Yes, you do." Trafalgar settled on Kidd's lap comfortably and leaned in as he began to let his hands roam Kidd's chest, causing the other man to let his head rest against the wall heavily as he shifted. Trafalgar's smirk deepened, "I know how you look at me. Sometimes you were so enamored of me that you don't notice anything else that was going on around you."

Kidd blushed faintly at that, and he stopped Trafalgar's hands from roaming his chest as he growled, "I don't do that." Kidd shifted again, but it only caused Trafalgar to rest more heavily against him, and Kidd found that the pants he wore were starting to feel uncomfortably tight.

"Hmm..." Trafalgar freed his hands and drew them up to Kidd's cheeks as his head leaned forward as if to give his lover a kiss, "I love how much denial you're still in after all of these years, when it comes to your feelings about me."

Kidd grabbed Trafalgar's shoulders and held him at arm's length, certain that his face was getting redder by the moment, "Would you fucking stop that? Quit spouting shit like that."

Trafalgar laughed again, before he decided to take a break from teasing his lover. For now, anyway. He could tell from the way that the other man was squirming beneath him that he was already painfully aroused and barely refraining from grabbing him, throwing him to the ground and tearing his clothes off. Trafalgar was rather surprised that Kidd was managing to hold himself back.

The dark haired man decided that he would turn their little talk in another direction, to see how long Kidd could hold back. Trafalgar ran his hands along Kidd's forearms again as he murmured distractedly, "I missed you having both of your arms. It made it difficult when we had sex and you didn't know what to do about your artificial arm."

Kidd stopped the dark haired man from feeling his arms up and wrapped them around Trafalgar's back, and inclined his head down slightly to kiss him. Mainly to get Trafalgar to shut up before he said anything else that embarrassed the hell out of him. Kidd didn't think he would ever get used to how easily Trafalgar could say semi romantic things that had much more of an effect on him than they really should have. Kidd made eye contact after the brief kiss, "You might've missed my left arm being flesh, but you don't regret cutting most of it off, do you?" Because Trafalgar was sick like that; he enjoyed causing pain as much as stopping it.

"No, I don't." Trafalgar muttered as he draped his arms over Kidd's shoulders and kissed him in return. Trafalgar enjoyed exploring his lover's mouth but soon enough had to break off the kiss for air. Apparently the dark haired doctor would have to say something to get Kidd to act. Trafalgar pressed closer to Kidd's chest as he breathed against the red head's lips, "Get those clothes off. You're wearing far too much." Trafalgar felt Kidd's arms leave his back, and he quickly slid off of Kidd's lap before the other bowled him over. Trafalgar smiled fondly at the other man as he began to all but rip off the clothing that was on him. So violent, though Trafalgar knew that it was only in response to the way he'd said his words. It amused the dark haired doctor how easily he could incite his lover into sex. Not that the other man would have refused, but it was still amusing to see someone as intimidating looking as Kidd all but tear off his clothes in an effort to do as Trafalgar had asked.

Trafalgar removed his own clothing off of the body that he possessed at a similar pace, but not as forcefully as Kidd. He'd never been one to rush things, but for now, Trafalgar was going to do all he could to get things moving along. It was part of the reason why he'd started to tease Kidd earlier. Trafalgar slipped the boxers off and tossed them to the side, ready for when Kidd nearly tackled him to pin him on his back against the mattress. The dark haired doctor had been fully expecting it, remembering from past romps that teasing Kidd early on caused the red head to be much more turned on and impatient.

Trafalgar moaned into the kiss that Kidd all but drowned him in, before the dark haired man tilted his head to the side to allow Kidd to lay kisses along his throat. Trafalgar reached up to run a hand through the other's hair, not attempting to stop him, "Hmm, you're being very forward." And the dark haired doctor liked it, as it was more in line with when they'd first been together and Kidd was the one initiating sex in the bedroom. Those had been some of the hottest nights of Trafalgar's life, especially once Kidd had realized that the dark haired doctor was more than willing to handle anything rough.

Kidd nibbled along the side of Trafalgar's throat, letting his hands wander as he muttered, "What makes you...think that?" Kidd wasn't going to stop now, as he hadn't been so aroused in a very long time. Damn son of a bitch really knew how to get through to him, and it infuriated and pleased Kidd all at once.

Trafalgar bit back a groan and dug his other hand into Kidd's hair, "It couldn't be because...ah...your hand is on my dick?"

"Could be. Are you complaining?" Kidd left off kissing Trafalgar's throat to lift his head as much as the dark haired man would allow with both of his hands in his hair. Kidd ran his hand along Trafalgar's member gently, and he grinned at the faint moan, "I'd say that you're enjoying it." Kidd moved his hand along lazily, and his grin grew at the look of pleasure on his lover's face, "You wanna go first?"

Trafalgar blinked dazedly before he realized what Kidd was asking. Trafalgar shook his head slightly, his voice light and breathless, "No, you can." He knew that neither of them cared who topped, so they just took turns depending on who was more in the mood. And Kidd was certainly in the mood with what he was doing to him at the moment. The dark haired man dropped a hand to prevent Kidd from removing his hand from him, "Keep going, or I'll change my mind."

"Mm, greedy," Kidd said huskily, hungrily bringing his lips to Trafalgar's as he sped up the tempo of his hand, drawing out a gasp and then a low moan, "I think I'm gonna have to take longer getting you ready then. The body you're possessing isn't used to lots of sex." With his free hand, Kidd retrieve the bottle of lotion that he'd used when he possessed Doflamingo, and coated a few fingers with the substance. Kidd kissed the side of Trafalgar's neck as he brought his hand down the curve of his lover's back, before it dipped lower.

Trafalgar's hands left Kidd's hair completely as he wrapped his arms around Kidd's neck instead, his pants and incoherent mumbling encouraging his lover's actions.

Kidd turned his head slightly to lay a kiss against the other's neck again, and panted lightly, "Fuck, this body is still tight." Feeling Trafalgar squirm, Kidd's tongue darted out along Trafalgar's throat, and down the curve of his jaw, "Good thing you like it rough." Otherwise, Kidd knew that he wouldn't be getting to stick his cock into the other man right away.

Trafalgar squeezed his arms tighter around Kidd's neck as he felt a second finger join the first, and he grit his teeth as Kidd dragged his other hand along his member playfully. Trafalgar swallowed roughly, before he drew back to look Kidd in the eyes, and managed to gasp out, "Mouth." He shifted slightly and lightly slapped the hand Kidd was using to prepare him. Trafalgar saw a confused expression pass over Kidd's face, and Trafalgar's eyes narrowed, though it was ineffective as Kidd had just slowly swirled his fingers with a grin. Trafalgar bit his lips and spoke warningly, "Eustass-ya…"

Kidd reluctantly removed his fingers, but he apparently hadn't done it quickly enough for his lover. Kidd felt the other man's hands reach up to either side of his head and thread through his hair firmly. Kidd was forced to let go of Trafalgar completely, and settled over him, kneeling between the dark haired man's legs. Kidd let his hands rest against the sheets just above Trafalgar's shoulders, to keep himself from just lying on top of Trafalgar. It didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Kidd stared down at his lover, still confused, and wondered why he'd been stopped. Trafalgar didn't usually ask for him to give him a blowjob. It was usually the other way around, as Trafalgar just loved to get him boneless and heaving for breath, usually so sated that Kidd would do just about anything after that. Including bondage and allowing the dark haired doctor to cut him with a scalpel or another sharp object. The body Kidd was possessing didn't have any scars on its back at the moment, but if Trafalgar took a turn fucking him into the mattress, Kidd was fairly certain the back would be covered with wounds by the next morning. His lover did have some odd fetishes, including an almost unhealthy one of blood. The red haired man frowned at Trafalgar, searching the other's eyes as he spoke, "Why?"

"You gave the other Law a blowjob, didn't you?" Trafalgar had Kidd's face only an inch or two from his own, and saw the other man avert his eyes at that. Trafalgar smiled, "It's good to know that you can feel some guilt."

Kidd withheld a sigh, "I did tell you that I thought it was you at the time." Kidd shivered as one of Trafalgar's knees bumped up against his crotch slowly, and did interesting things to his own member. Kidd fought to keep himself upright as he felt Trafalgar's hands run through his hair lightly, "And you complained about me giving you one that one time."

"Only because you were biting occasionally, and I had already told you that I didn't like that." Trafalgar let his hands dig more tightly into Kidd's hair, "But there's something else that bothers me more than you getting someone else off other than me."

Kidd blinked down at his lover, trying to think of what he possibly could have done that bothered Trafalgar more, "Did I ever tell you that you're weirdly jealous? We even agreed that we didn't care if we fucked other people when we couldn't see each other often enough." Kidd knew that Trafalgar was very possessive of him, and he was as well, for that matter, of the dark haired doctor.

"I know, but it wasn't something you did. It was something you said." Trafalgar responded, running his fingertips along Kidd's scalp, smiling at the faint sigh he drew from the other man. Or perhaps it was because he had dug his knee up again. When Trafalgar saw that Kidd was still more or less focused on him, the dark hared man continued, "What does bother me is what you said to the owner of this body." Seeing another blank look, Trafalgar elaborated, "When you said that I would always come back to you? Something along those lines?" Trafalgar saw that Kidd was actively avoiding his gaze now.

Kidd recalled saying something like that, but wasn't sure how Trafalgar had heard him, unless he'd shouted them after Law and they'd been within hearing range of the house, where the dark haired ghost had been lingering. Kidd avoided his lover's eyes, knowing that that one comment had gotten him into trouble. Though it was trouble only for himself, as Trafalgar was likely to find it more humorous than anything.

Trafalgar leaned up to kiss Kidd's cheek and tilted the red haired man's head, his tone teasing, "Eustass-ya." The doctor saw Kidd briefly look at him, before he averted his gaze once more and shifted. Trafalgar smirked as he trailed his thumbs lightly down through Kidd's hair, to circle them along Kidd's cheeks. He brought his lover into a kiss before he rested their foreheads together, his tone still teasing, yet there was a faint, dangerous note underlying it, "Since when did  _I_  come back to  _you_? I distinctly recall you barging into my home many times to corner me when I didn't come to see you. And you were the one who was worried that I was going to leave you in the first place."

Kidd still wouldn't look the other man in the eyes despite their close proximity. Kidd didn't like the distinctions being pointed out, but there was no use denying it now that the dark haired man had brought it up.

It made Trafalgar smile to see Kidd as uncomfortable as he was as he let his hands go back to playing with the other's hair, "Why would you say something like that when it isn't exactly true?" Trafalgar questioned, amused when Kidd rested his forehead more heavily against his own, and made a faint sound of contentment from the motion the dark haired man was making. Kidd was ridiculously adorable sometimes, which always clashed with his gruff exterior, and made it all the more endearing. Perhaps he'd mention it, if only to get Kidd blushing as he tried to deny it vehemently. It didn't seem to help because he'd usually end up limp, exhausted and satisfied on the ground or bed or wherever they happened to be having sex once Trafalgar was through with him. "Eustass-ya." Trafalgar's voice was still playful, but this time it had sounded more like a demand.

Amber eyes reluctantly opened to meet the other's gray ones. From the red head's tone, Trafalgar could tell that Kidd was faintly embarrassed.

"I can always hope that that was the case." After all, it had disturbed Kidd for some time that Trafalgar could get him to do just about anything, and the red haired man felt that he needed some semblance of control. Believing that Trafalgar would be the one wanting to return to him was one way of hiding the truth from himself, and it made him feel better.

Trafalgar laughed shortly as he turned Kidd's head again for a kiss, still running his hands through the red hair. Both were breathless by the time they parted for air, and Trafalgar smirked at Kidd, "You really are delusional sometimes." Trafalgar let go of Kidd and patted one cheek lightly, "Now, get going and use your mouth already. You don't want to be interrupted, do you?" Noting the rebellious glint in his lover's eye, Trafalgar raised his brow, "Seeing as you get to fuck me first, don't you think it's only fair that you suck me off beforehand?" Trafalgar smiled lightly, "I doubt that this body will last for long if you don't loosen it up more first anyway."

Kidd grinned at that as he slid down along his lover's body, where he rested his head against Trafalgar's nearest thigh. Kidd's tongue darted out along the hand wrapped around Trafalgar's cock, pleased that it made the other man writhe just the faintest amount, "Well, when you put it that way..." Kidd ran his tongue lightly around the base as he squeezed gently, drawing forth a groan, "I better do it then. I wanna hear you scream anyway."

Trafalgar dug his hands into the sheets beneath his borrowed body as Kidd worked him over at a relatively slower pace than he'd normally go. Though the doctor supposed that it was also because Kidd didn't normally get the chance to do it to him, "No...teeth."

Kidd hummed some kind of acknowledgment as he kept his mouth and hand occupied. The red haired man found it amusing that his dick was about the only place that Trafalgar disliked being bit. Anywhere else was fair game, and Kidd intended to take advantage of that at some point during this.

Trafalgar forced himself upright to lean over and bury his hands into the soft red hair again, his face against the hair as well as he helplessly held on. The longer Kidd ran his hand and mouth over him, the more Trafalgar realized that it was getting to him more than in the past. If he had known that this body was so sensitive, he wouldn't have suggested for Kidd to go first. At a particularly hard suck, Trafalgar let out another gasp, and pressed himself against the other more tightly, his hips moving forward as he jerked Kidd's head further down. The doctor felt Kidd mumble something crossly around the member still in his mouth, and poked him in the side sharply.

Trafalgar let up on the pressure, and allowed Kidd to move as he would, but it didn't stop the dark haired man from holding on for dear life to the other's hair. The stimulation he was receiving was more than he could handle, not having experienced it for years and years. Trafalgar began to jerk Kidd's hair occasionally when the other man went down on him as he slowly increased his pace, and began to move his hand in time with his mouth. Trafalgar writhed when his lover began to deep throat him, and let out a moan, twitching when he felt Kidd laugh around him. He hadn't expected Kidd to be so thorough with this. Trafalgar closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, and soon felt that he was about to come. Trafalgar made some attempt to let his lover know, but it came out in the form of a thin groan and a tighter hold in Kidd's hair.

Kidd laughed again, and that sent his lover over the edge. Apparently all of what he was doing was finally just too much to handle. Ignoring the painful grip Trafalgar had on his head, Kidd reached around and squeezed his lover's ass, and held him still as the other came. Trafalgar may have been trying to get him to go at a pace he liked, but had eventually given in and let the red head set it. Even if that wasn't what the dark haired doctor had wanted. Kidd knew that it would come back to bite him in the ass if Trafalgar wasn't worn out after he'd been fucked. If he wasn't, Kidd was fairly certain that the doctor was going to pay him back tenfold and be a lot more vicious and controlling when he got his chance.

"E...Eustass..." Trafalgar murmured breathlessly against the top of the other man's head, shaking as he felt Kidd swallow. The dark haired doctor shivered as Kidd draw away from his member, and it took him a moment to release his hold on Kidd's hair to allow his lover to draw away completely. Trafalgar dropped back onto the mattress with a low sigh of contentment, turning to rest on his side as he tried to get his breathing back under control. With his eyes closed, Trafalgar spoke, sounding quite sated, "Mm, I should have had you do that more often." Kidd had been holding back on him before, and Trafalgar suspected it was only because the red head preferred the roles to be reversed in this instance.

Kidd, meanwhile, was gleeful that he had worn his lover out so much from just a fucking blowjob, and was really looking forward to seeing what shape he'd be in after he screwed him on the mattress they both were lying on. Kidd took advantage of Trafalgar's limp form, and moved the short distance separating them to spoon against the dark haired doctor, resting his head on Trafalgar's shoulder. Kidd looped one arm over the other man's waist, the other hand seizing the bottle of lotion and uncapping it, intent on working the other man loose while he was still relaxed and worn out. Kidd nibbled his way along Trafalgar's nearest earlobe and scraped his teeth over the earrings, before he closed his mouth over them. Kidd toyed with the piercing and skin, before he bit down and drew out an indignant gasp from his lover.

Kidd smirked as Trafalgar started to twist away, and released his bite to let the dark haired doctor roll over to glare at him in exasperation.

"Must you bite all the time?" Trafalgar questioned, even if he moved forward so that he could press his chest up against Kidd's, "Though I guess it's better than wanting to cut me."

Kidd sealed his lips over Trafalgar's to get him to stop talking, and felt the other man smile against his lips as his mouth parted to allow him access. Kidd hummed as he ran his tongue along, trailing two of his fingers down Trafalgar's spine slowly enough that it urged the doctor to bite his lower lip. Kidd used his other hand to settle against the back of Trafalgar's head to keep him locked in the kiss. Kidd titled the dark haired man's head to deepen the kiss, and trapped the other's tongue in a bite, chuckling slightly into the kiss at the moan the motion had caused. Kidd slipped the fingers down further and in, before Trafalgar could think to retaliate, and found that there wasn't as much resistance as there was before. Kidd began moving his fingers in a lazy swirl as he continued to drown Trafalgar in a very thorough kiss that the red head was fairly certain was going to leave them both momentarily breathless. Kidd took a quick moment to breathe as he mumbled against Trafalgar's lips, "I like all the sounds you're making." Seeing the glint in the doctor's eyes, Kidd grinned, "You know you make them. I'm not the only one who comes undone from this."

Kidd let go of Trafalgar's head and turned both of them over, so that he could pin Trafalgar's back against the mattress, "Think you'll scream this time? I love the little pants you make, but I'd rather hear you scream for once." It was rather disappointing to Kidd that Trafalgar would come nearly in complete silence, and that in turn embarrassed him because he could end up being quite a screamer. Even if his lover happened to like drawing it out of him, Kidd wanted to occasionally get the same from Trafalgar.

Trafalgar looped his arms around Kidd's neck, and held on just a bit tighter as Kidd began to use more lotion. After another minute of the man moving his fingers along, Trafalgar began to grown impatient, and he breathed against Kidd's throat irritably, "I think that's as loose as you're going to get this body. Take them out already." When he heard Kidd merely chuckle and continue to finger him, Trafalgar mouthed the crook of Kidd's neck, over where part of the bandage lay, and bit down, drawing forth an interesting mix of pain and pleasure from the sound of Kidd's gasp. To further encourage Kidd that he was ready, Trafalgar maneuvered his legs until they were wrapped around the red haired man's waist and dug his feet in against Kidd's back. The motion startled Kidd, and it brought him closer to his lover's body, and it made him growl something inaudible. Trafalgar kissed the side of his throat, annoyed, "Hurry up, Eustass-ya. I don't want your fingers fucking me. I want you." Trafalgar bit down on the skin beneath his mouth again, drawing out a grimace, and added, "If your cock isn't in me in the next minute I'm going to fuck you instead and you won't get a chance to do the same to me until later with what I have in mind."

Kidd hastily removed his fingers at that, knowing the other man was likely to do just that. He had in the past, and wouldn't put it past him to do so now, "Shit, you're so fucking demanding sometimes. I don't complain when you take forever to get to the point."

Trafalgar drew away from Kidd's throat to kiss him again, and tightened his arms around the back of the red haired man's neck, looking him dead in the eye, "That was when we weren't in danger of having irritating people trying to get rid of us."

Kidd dumped out more lotion to run along himself, even more aroused than before now that Trafalgar seemed to be in the mood to threaten as well as lecture. Kidd positioned himself as he rested one hand on Trafalgar's nearest hip, shifting a bit to get a good angle, "How would that be any different than what we've dealt with in the past? Someone always wanted to kill us in some way or another."

Trafalgar winced as Kidd started to push in, and for now, words seemed to be a good idea, "This is different. We're essentially spirits that have possessed living people, and for those trying to get rid of us, time is of the essence."

Kidd pulled back slightly when he noticed the pain etched on his lover's face, and wondered if he should have just ignored Trafalgar's threat and loosened him up some more, "But they won't be able to get into this room if they don't know how to open it."

Trafalgar's legs tightened around Kidd's waist when he noticed the hesitation, and glared up at the other man, "Take it out and you're done for the time being."

"Fuck, Trafalgar." Kidd couldn't think of anything else to say, and decided that if it was too rough, it was Trafalgar's own fault for being so damn impatient.

Trafalgar thought that Kidd was going to pull out anyway, and was about to demand that Kidd hurry up already, when the red head suddenly shoved forward roughly, and managed to bury himself with that first thrust.

Kidd froze again when he felt Trafalgar's grasp slacken around his neck, as well as the pained yelp that had issued from him. Kidd hesitantly looked down at the other man, "Trafalgar?"

Trafalgar's eyes slit open to eye Kidd murderously. The pain he could deal with, but Kidd's concern was something entirely different to him. He'd never really cared to ask before he fucked in the past, and it made Trafalgar wonder if there was something that was bothering Kidd that had made the change. Not that Trafalgar didn't welcome it. It was good to know that he could get the red head to stop if he really couldn't take it like he thought he'd be able to. To cover up his own feelings on the matter, Trafalgar locked his gaze onto the amber eyes studying him warily. From between clenched teeth, Trafalgar spoke through the pain he felt from where Kidd was buried inside of him, "Don't stop every time you do something to see if I'm all right."

Kidd narrowed his eyes back at his lover, but it wasn't done with malicious intent. Only confusion at the other man's words, and his own actions. Kidd had only asked because he still wasn't sure how well the body Trafalgar was possessing would receive it.

Trafalgar let out a faint groan as Kidd moved slightly, and he couldn't take it anymore. Kidd was taking too damn long for his tastes, so drastic measures were to be taken. Panting a little at the thought of what he might cause, Trafalgar let go of Kidd's neck to reach down and palm Kidd's balls in one hand, fingers digging in lightly, which caused Kidd to involuntarily jerk his hips, and therefore into his lover's body. Trafalgar used his other hand to seize Kidd's chin, and turned it so they were looking at one another again. Trafalgar deliberately trailed his other fingers around in a circle, drawing forth a faint, strangled moan, and one of Kidd's hands seized him to stop the motion. The dark haired doctor allowed Kidd to regain his breath, before flicking him slightly with a finger, and growled impatiently, "Stop overthinking things and fuck me already!"

Seeing the frantic nod from his lover, Trafalgar gave the red head's balls one more warning squeeze, before pulling away and returning his arms to loop back around Kidd's neck. At the first thrust, Trafalgar tugged Kidd down and into a kiss, harshly biting his lower lip in warning to continue to do as he asked. The second thrust was better, and the movement began to increase, and Trafalgar started to move his hips to meet the increasingly heavier thrusts. Trafalgar hungrily devoured the inside of Kidd's mouth with his tongue as the red head moaned into it and moved a little faster, both hands dropping to Trafalgar's hips to angle him up slightly. Trafalgar smirked into the kiss as he dug his feet into Kidd's back.

After he was no longer concerned about Trafalgar being in any pain from this, Kidd began to thrust more deeply in an effort to draw out as many gasps, pants and potential screams from his lover as he could. The dark haired doctor had finally freed him from the kiss, so Kidd took the chance to bite the side of Trafalgar's throat in retaliation. The whimper it drew forth was satisfying, and Kidd peeked out of the corner of his eye to note the pleasure that was written all over the other's face. Kidd increased the pressure of the bite, just to get another little helpless sound out of the other, before he let go to grin. Kidd lowered his mouth slightly to lick his way along the other's throat, before he gently scraped his teeth against the skin, "I love that you let me go first."

Trafalgar panted through the thrusts, holding on tightly to his lover as he was pressed further into the mattress below him with each smooth and heavy motion of Kidd's hips. When the dark haired doctor trusted himself to speak, he did so, and smiled darkly up at Kidd, "I'm only being polite, because I won't give you a moment's rest once I start with you." Trafalgar's hands roamed Kidd's abdomen, appreciating the way it heaved with effort. Trafalgar's eyes lifted to lock with Kidd's, "I want to toy with you. Make you beg. Make you writhe. Make you scream until you can't take it anymore."

Kidd's rhythm faltered for just an instant at the way Trafalgar had smoothly spoken of fucking him in a way that had almost sounded like a casual explanation. With a renewed effort, Kidd began to move against Trafalgar with desperate abandon, turned on by the very idea of what his lover wanted to do with him. It didn't take Kidd much longer before he came, and his mind blanked out for a brief moment. When Kidd's senses returned, he realized that he was partially pinning Trafalgar on the bed with his full weight, and from the short, gasping sounds his lover was making, along with the very nasty glare tossed his way, his lover didn't much appreciate him losing his mind momentarily.

With a weary shift of his hips, Kidd pulled out and dropped to the bed alongside Trafalgar, and gave the other man no time to oppose his decision to hug him to his chest. Kidd wheezed his laughter as he all but crushed Trafalgar to his chest in a hug, and apparently drove the breath out of him from the rapid, gasping pants the dark haired doctor was making. It excited Kidd to think what Trafalgar had planned for him, and decided that now probably wasn't the time to overly annoy him. Kidd let go of his lover to rest more heavily on the bed, and closed his eyes as he let out a pleased sigh. Kidd absently tousled Trafalgar's hair with a hand, smiling faintly when the other man inched closer to him, "Good?"

Trafalgar cracked his eyes open to give his lover an amused quirk of his lips, and rested a hand against Kidd's cheek, "What do you think?"

Kidd reached up and grabbed Trafalgar's hand, bringing the fingers to his lips to kiss, "Better than anyone you may have been with before me?"

The dark haired doctor shook his head, "Think you're that good?" Trafalgar grunted as Kidd snuggled close to him and wrapped his arms loosely around his back. Trafalgar freed an arm and patted Kidd on the back, "What do you think? If it wasn't mind blowing sex I wouldn't have stuck around, among other things."

Trafalgar may enjoy getting under his skin, but Kidd wondered why the other man had never taken advantage of having sex with anyone else when they were apart. The doctor only met up with him. Only him. But would that have changed had Trafalgar not died the same day he had? Kidd winced at the prod to his side, and relaxed his hold. He hadn't realized he'd tightened his grip around the other man.

"I know what you're thinking. What if I hadn't died that day? Would I have gone out with other people?" Trafalgar had guessed the other's train of thought, and guessed that he should have addressed it sooner. As in when they were alive. Trafalgar wrapped an arm around Kidd's back, "Let's just say that I would have been lonely. There's only one you, after all. No one could have replaced you after all we'd been through." Trafalgar scraped his nails against the red haired man's back, "Okay? Stop thinking about the past, and for now, shut up and let me rest."

Kidd ducked his face against the crook of the dark haired man's neck to hide the stupidly pleased yet embarrassed grin he wore from the other's words.

The two of them lay there for nearly ten minutes, before Kidd heard Trafalgar move out of his embrace and off of the mattress. The red haired man didn't bother going after him or opening his eyes to see what the doctor was doing. Kidd knew that he'd be right back. Trafalgar getting up and walking around obviously meant that he was up for another round. After all, he hadn't come after Kidd had fucked him, but as he'd given his lover a blowjob right before, he wasn't feeling too guilty about not getting him off at the same time.

Kidd rolled over onto his stomach and stretched. After a few minutes slipped by, Kidd finally decided to speak up, his voice still lazy and content, "What are you doing?" Kidd winced when he felt Trafalgar's weight drop onto his back out of the blue, and wasn't given much time to ask any more as a gag was suddenly forced up against his lips. Kidd blinked, but nonetheless opened his mouth to allow Trafalgar to shove it into his mouth, and secure it behind the back of his head. Kidd bit down on the gag a few times as he tried to make his jaw somewhat comfortable. Kidd felt Trafalgar's hands move away, and the rest of his body followed soon after. Kidd hadn't bothered to open his eyes just yet. Kidd felt one of Trafalgar's hands reappear on his back, caressing the skin slowly, and it suddenly clicked in Kidd's mind that the only reason his lover would have gagged him was when he...

Kidd felt pain flare up across his bare back, but the red head smiled around the gag. Trafalgar did love to make him bleed, and the only reason the gag was there in the first place was to make sure he didn't bite his tongue. Otherwise, the dark haired doctor loved to hear him scream and beg and plead. The last one was just a bit more humiliating than begging in Kidd's mind, even if Trafalgar teased him and said they were essentially the same thing. Kidd let his body relax, knowing that if he didn't, he could twitch and cause the dark haired doctor to dig the blade he was using more deeply than it was intended to. Since Kidd was in no danger of dying in this body, Kidd allowed the other man to cut him up with careful movements of the blade he held. Most likely a scalpel, as Trafalgar was more familiar with them. Kidd trusted his lover to not slice him up too much, or in a way that would incapacitate the body he possessed.

Trafalgar patted Kidd's shoulder in response to the other man going limp, pleased that he hadn't had to tell the red head to do so. It figured that Kidd would better remember things that inflicted pain than remembering some conversation from years and years ago. The dark haired doctor smiled as he made another incision along Kidd's left shoulder blade, and watched, partially mesmerized, as a thin trail of blood trickled out from the cut. Trafalgar began to make more shallow cuts, enjoying the faint whines and pained grunts that he received from his lover. Trafalgar didn't like gagging Kidd often, but he'd rather not deal with Kidd biting his tongue and hurting himself. It would take some time to heal, and Trafalgar wasn't about to cut short any kisses he could and would receive from the red head.

Trafalgar looked down at Kidd's bloodied back from the cuts that he'd made so far, before he lifted the scalpel's blade to his lips and licked the blood that was there, his smile darkening. He was going to enjoy this and so was his lover. Trafalgar was already fully aroused again, and he was fairly certain that Kidd would be again too, soon enough. Trafalgar rested the scalpel against an unmarked part of the other's back and cut along slowly.

Trafalgar was going to take his time punishing Kidd before he would give him pleasure. And he was again pleased when his lover figured this out, and tried to move away. Do anything to get Trafalgar to stop what he was currently doing and do something less destructive. But Trafalgar didn't. He wasn't about to give in so easily, but he did relent after noticing Kidd pressing himself further into the bed and moaning something incoherently around the gag. Trafalgar held the scalpel back and leaned over Kidd, dipping one hand beneath the other's waist, before it found Kidd's member and gave it a squeeze. Kidd pressed down against the hand, and Trafalgar merely held the scalpel against Kidd's back, so when he arched back, the blade broke the skin and went further than the rest of the cuts.

The dark haired doctor waited a moment before he rested the blade on the other side of Kidd's back, before running his other hand along slowly, fingers toying with Kidd's dick and letting him know without words that he had to hold still, or there would be consequences. Trafalgar traced the scalpel along Kidd's back as he started to run his other hand along more quickly. Kidd whimpered something into the sheets, his body shaking minutely in an attempt to not move in a way that would dig the scalpel into his body. Trafalgar kept up the little game for only a few minutes, as that was as long as Kidd could hold out against him. Trafalgar noticed that his lover was about to come, so he dipped his hand down and squeezed the base to prevent Kidd from having any relief.

Trafalgar smirked at the desperation in Kidd's moan, and decided that some begging was in order. If he couldn't get Kidd to scream for it, he was going to find some other way to make Kidd ask for it, "Do you want to come?"

Kidd shifted, his hips tilting forward slightly against Trafalgar's hand with a faint sound of agreement. He was unable to use words, but just knew that the movement wasn't enough to get Trafalgar to finish.

Trafalgar dropped the scalpel onto the mattress, and trailed his free hand down Kidd's back and through the newly made wounds, making Kidd writhe, "Then beg." Hearing the disgruntled snort of disbelief, Trafalgar let his fingers rest more heavily around the base of Kidd's member. "I could just keep you like this for a while." Trafalgar heard a disjointed moan of words that issued from his lover, and his lips quirked, "I can't understand what you're saying, Eustass-ya. Try again." Trafalgar leaned over Kidd's lower back, resting his hand against his lover's wounded back as his other hand kept a firm grasp. He watched as Kidd shifted as best he could, and tilt his head to the side to look at him. The pleading, desperate look in Kidd's eyes sent a slight chill down Trafalgar's spine, and he let go of Kidd completely to grab either side of his head to lay rapid kisses along his jawline, "I haven't seen that look before. I like it." Trafalgar continued to kiss Kidd, but reached up with his right hand to slap the red hired man's bleeding back, drawing out a muffled yelp. Trafalgar drew away from the kiss, "Touch yourself and I'll stop."

Kidd seriously looked to be considering it, but felt that whatever Trafalgar had in mind would eventually translate into pleasure for him. The sick son of a bitch just had to get off on making him bleed for a little while beforehand. Kidd propped himself up on his right arm to more easily turn his head, and bumped it lightly against Trafalgar's shoulder. Apparently, it was enough to get the dark haired doctor to take mercy on him and leave cutting him up any more for a later time.

"Hmm, cute. I bet none of the people you worked with had any idea that you were such a softie under your rough exterior." Trafalgar removed the gag as he wrapped his hand around Kidd's cock again, and leaned forward to cut off Kidd's response in a kiss as he made short work of him.

Kidd gasped against Trafalgar's lips as he came, before he collapsed facedown onto the sheets beneath him. Damn, Trafalgar was still such a damn tease, and still vicious as hell with a blade. Kidd felt one of Trafalgar's hands run through his hair before he closed his eyes to concentrate on calming himself down.

"Stay there. I'm going to patch up your back before going any further."

Kidd wasn't surprised, and managed to get his act together in time to not react too obviously as Trafalgar began to clean the many cuts he had made. Though the dark haired doctor slapped on bandages a little roughly, making Kidd jerk ever now and then at the different amount of pressure Trafalgar made as he took care of the injuries he'd inflicted. Kidd grimaced a few times, especially when Trafalgar flipped him over and onto his back, causing the pain to flare up, "Fuck. Do you really need to cause me even more pain?" Kidd was unable to launch any more complaints, as Trafalgar's lips found his, and Kidd all but melted into the kiss the dark haired man held him in. Breathing unevenly after the kiss, Kidd allowed Trafalgar to maneuver him up slightly to rest one leg over his shoulder, to give him room to work. Kidd propped himself up on his elbows so that he could lean back, and shuddered faintly as Trafalgar used the blood on his fingers to begin to work him loose, "Use the lotion too."

"I know, Eustass-ya. Be quiet."

Fucking polite sounding son of a bitch. Acting like he hadn't just cut his back up with that more than likely twisted smile on his face. Kidd heard Trafalgar grab the bottle, as well as felt the liquid it contained. Kidd kept his lips firmly pressed together as the dark haired man prepared him much more roughly than he had for him, but in an efficient way that got him to relax more. The red haired man had no warning, as not a moment later, Trafalgar thrust into him, the doctor pausing for only a moment when Kidd let out a strangled cry at the sudden intrusion.

Trafalgar leaned over and swatted at Kidd's arms, indicating for the man to stop propping himself up.

Kidd immediately did so, and let his head drop back onto the mattress.

Satisfied, Trafalgar began to move, accelerating his thrusts with each movement of his hips, using his hands to hold Kidd in place. Trafalgar grunted when Kidd's arms suddenly wrapped around his back and brought him against his chest. Trafalgar was about to scold his lover, if not for the fact that he could hear Kidd making encouraging pants and whimpers for him to keep going.

Trafalgar nuzzled his head along Kidd's chest, which heaved from the light touch, before Trafalgar wiggled his way high enough to seal his lips over Kidd's nearest collarbone as he started to thrust slowly, drawing out a satisfyingly low groan mixed in with a thin whine from his lover, whose arms were attempting to bring him down even closer to his body. Trafalgar used one hand to reach up and seize Kidd's chin, and tugged at it gently.

Kidd leaned up as best as he could, and panted into the kiss that Trafalgar gave him, and through lidded eyes saw the dark haired man's smirk. Kidd was confused until he felt Trafalgar pull out, as well as slap one of his arms impatiently. Kidd glowered at him, but at another narrowed look and insistent tug made Kidd grumble under his breath as he rolled over. He had a feeling what the other had in mind. While Kidd didn't particularly like it, he wasn't going to complain if it kept the other man screwing him. Kidd winced as Trafalgar seized his hips and hoisted his ass into the air. Kidd merely readjusted and braced his arms and upper body against the bed, and settled his legs more comfortably. At first being fucked in this position had been far too embarrassing and demeaning, and Kidd knew that Trafalgar knew that he hated it, unless he did something to distract him...

Kidd flinched as Trafalgar trailed his hands down his bandaged and wounded back, before digging in with his fingertips, causing the injuries to start to bleed through the bandages. Kidd made a funny sound between a yelp and a moan and impatiently kicked at Trafalgar with one leg. He missed, and the only thing it accomplished was for the dark haired doctor to drag his hands down Kidd's back more heavily, drawing out a pained yelp this time around.

"Behave." Trafalgar warned softly, "Or I won't stop the bleeding."

"Some doctor  _you_  are. You sure you didn't get off on cutting people up for that sick, pink wearing bastard?" Kidd mumbled into the sheets, instantly regretting his words when he felt Trafalgar stiffen. Kidd bit his lip as he felt Trafalgar crawl onto him, and slide his upper body down the red head's wounded back. Kidd was distracted with the other man's cock pressed up near his backside, but any lusty thoughts soon fled his mind. Kidd hadn't realized just how dangerously close he'd gotten Trafalgar to snapping. Kidd felt the other man's breath against the side of his neck as Trafalgar hissed dangerously into his ear, "Did you say something?"

"You sure are sensitive about the weirdest things," Kidd muttered, and shifted a little to keep himself braced on the bed in the position his lover had shoved him down into. Kidd felt the other man's arms loop around his throat, and his aroused state retreated as realization set in. Dammit. He had  _not_  meant to set Trafalgar off like this so soon. Kidd blamed himself for forgetting the little detail about his lover not appreciating being teased about causing injures when he was supposed to heal them as a doctor and a surgeon.

It more than likely had brought forth unpleasant memories for Trafalgar, of when he had been Doflamingo's go to man when he wanted someone dead and have it done in a believable way. Another reason why Trafalgar hated the blond. From what the dark haired doctor had told him, Doflamingo had brought enemies with him to the hospital, as 'patients', and had watched Trafalgar kill them however the older man had told him he had wanted them to be killed. Kidd had listened, mostly, to Trafalgar talk of being resistant to quit working at the hospital just because Doflamingo would rather have him closer and be his pet killer who would do anything for him. Kidd supposed that was partially the reason why Doflamingo had decided that he needed to pin Trafalgar down somehow and get him to leave the hospital for good.

While Kidd still did want to find out why Trafalgar had been cornered, finding that out now didn't seem to be the right time. Kidd knew that because Trafalgar's hands were now pressing up against his throat, cutting off his breathing and rather quickly at that. Kidd had an inappropriate thought that perhaps this was one way that Doflamingo had wanted him to kill people. Kidd knew he would have been turned on watching Trafalgar do it, since he knew Trafalgar would have enjoyed it if he'd seen him choke Bellamy to death in that warehouse all those months ago. Kidd's thoughts were drawn to his current predicament, as Trafalgar's hold had tightened, forcing Kidd to fight for every breath he got.

Trafalgar's voice was still that dangerous hiss, "I'll let that comment slide this time, Eustass-ya, but you know I hate it when you say anything about Doflamingo making use of my medical expertise." Trafalgar leaned forward as he tilted Kidd's head back and to the side gently, and took a moment to enjoy the other's air deprived expression, "It's a good thing for you that I like you better when you're breathing." Trafalgar closed the distance to lock lips with his lover and kissed him, smirking into it when he felt Kidd whimpering for breath. Trafalgar broke away, and all but commanded Kidd in a rather cold and icy tone, "Put your ass higher in the air. I want to fuck you until you collapse." Trafalgar let go of Kidd's throat, before he scooted back along Kidd's wounded back, feeling Kidd settle back down and do as asked, even if he was coughing and gasping in air at the same time.

Trafalgar gripped Kidd's hips and as soon as his red haired lover's breath evened out, Trafalgar thrust into him again, and began to go slowly and deeply, intent on dragging out a scream. Trafalgar rested his head against the middle of Kidd's back, where the bandages seeped a little blood. The dark haired doctor heard Kidd groan and no doubt clench the sheets tightly, from the movement Trafalgar noticed out of the corner of his eye. Trafalgar picked up the pace as he ran one hand along Kidd's back, before he dug a finger against a wound, making Kidd writhe and shove backwards. Trafalgar grinned, and ran his lips along the bandages, tasting the blood as he dug his finger along another wound. When Kidd gasped and moved back against Trafalgar's thrusts again, the dark haired man laughed as he held his other hand heavily against Kidd's hip, "You are such a masochist."

"Shut...up and fuck me...like you mean it..." Kidd gasped out, gripping the sheets and shoving backward at the other man to make him stop drawing things out.

"Who's being greedy now?" Trafalgar panted in return, but increased the rolling thrusts that he'd settled in on, driving Kidd to make a muffled cry and bury his face against the sheets.

"Fuck, Trafalgar. Quit fucking teasing me." Kidd's faintly irritated tone had taken on a note of desperation. He couldn't believe he was already aroused, again, and it was very nearly painful this time around with how merciless Trafalgar was being to him. It didn't help that Kidd was thinking about Trafalgar getting covered in his blood and grinning eerily as he continued to poke and prod his wounds.

Trafalgar used both hands to scrape down Kidd's wounded back, "If you want to come, do it yourself. My hands are occupied."

"Like hell they are." Kidd snarled, but as soon as Trafalgar continued to slam into him mercilessly at that comment, Kidd simply couldn't take it anymore. He had to relieve himself. His dick had sprung back to life as soon as Trafalgar had started to fuck him again, and dig his hands along his wounded back. The red haired man didn't care if he was a masochist or not so long as Trafalgar kept doing what he was doing. Talk could come later about making an art project on his back with the scalpel. Kidd shifted to give himself room, and wrapped one hand around himself, stroking along in time with Trafalgar's thrusts. Dammit. His lover sure knew how to get under his skin.

Kidd hadn't realized just how turned on he was by having Trafalgar messing around with his injuries, because it didn't take him very long to get himself off. Kidd nearly collapsed flat on the bed after he'd come, but he shakily kept himself in place for Trafalgar to finish, and felt the other reach his limit moments later. As soon as Trafalgar pulled out and collapsed on top of him, Kidd slumped to the bed, exhausted. Trafalgar remained on Kidd's back for a few minutes as the two of them got their breath back under control.

Trafalgar rolled off to the side next to Kidd, and ran a hand through Kidd's sweaty hair as he looked up into his eyes. The dark haired man tested the bandages around Kidd's head, "It looks like it stayed in place."

Kidd frowned, grimacing as Trafalgar jostled him and sent a low throb of pain throughout his body, "And my back?"

"I'll take care of that in a bit. I can't hold onto this body for much longer. I need to get more energy."

"This body isn't going to bleed out, is it?" Kidd's tone was irritated again. It would just fucking figure that Trafalgar had gotten carried away and wounded this body more than he had planned on doing.

Trafalgar smirked, "No, don't worry about it. It'll just hurt if you lie on your back, so don't." Trafalgar closed his eyes, "It shouldn't take me too long to draw out a little energy from that blond and this body."

Kidd was disappointed, but at a sudden thought, he began to grin, "Hey, Trafalgar." When Kidd saw the eyes slit open to fix him with a curious stare, the red head's grin grew, "I can still possess this body. Do you wanna help me play with your doppelganger?"

The wicked smile that split Trafalgar's lips was all Kidd needed to see.


	27. Done Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is end of part one, so part two of the fic starts in the next chapter. And it is where the fic shifts and gets a little weird. Well...weirder.

Law came to slowly, and was momentarily disoriented as he pieced things together. He remembered that he had gone back to the house to look for the ring...had gone down to the cellar to look for it...and that was when Kidd had jumped him and pulled him into the room. The dark haired doctor sat up and ran a hand through his hair, before he noted with trepidation that he was naked. And that was when he realized, all at once, what had just happened. The other ghost had possessed his body, and then he and Kidd had had...

Law shook his head as he immediately tried to push the incident to the back of his mind. The dark haired man had mainly blocked out what had happened when Trafalgar had possessed his body, but now that he was all alone in his own body once more, Law began to become more aware of his surroundings. Law studied the low ceilinged room that was dimly lit all around by candles, and that was when he heard someone laugh. Law froze in place, recognizing the voice that spoke to him once the laughter had died down.

"You woke up sooner than I thought you would." Kidd commented, and glanced to the side, "I must not have tired you out enough after the first two rounds."

Law turned around, and abruptly scrambled upright and backward up against the brick wall at the sight of a very alive Kidd, who was grinning at him. Law dimly realized that Kidd's spirit must have possessed Eustass' body, due to the bandages around the red haired man's head, and the way he squinted a bit with his left eye. Law turned his attention to right next to Kidd, after hearing a laugh eerily similar to his own. Law pressed his back a tad heavier against the wall, momentarily forgetting the pain he was in, and just how sore his body was, at the sight of Trafalgar's ghost faintly visible next to Kidd. It disturbed Law more because Trafalgar was mirroring the red head's grin. The dark haired doctor felt that he should try and run, despite the shape he was in. The grins aimed his way made Law concerned for his health. His mind was already past saving with the insanity he'd been seeing and feeling in the past several months.

Trafalgar noticed the other's eyes shift, and had an idea of what Law had in mind. The way his gaze darted around the immediate area made it quite obvious. It was quite laughable, really. There was nowhere to run while Kidd was in possession of his doppelganger's body. While it would have amused Trafalgar and most likely Kidd for Law to try and fruitlessly look for an escape, the dark haired ghost decided to stop Law before he could even try. Trafalgar drifted forward and prevented the other man from fleeing with his ghostly aura. It allowed Kidd to move in close to Law, and Trafalgar took the chance to drain a little of the dark haired man's energy for himself, further paralyzing him. The ghostly doctor wanted to be able to possess the other man again as soon as possible. Trafalgar exchanged a smirk with Kidd. He wasn't, however, opposed to the idea of tormenting Law a little before repossessing him.

Kidd got his arms around Law, and pinned the shaking man up against the wall, where he chained his wrists there so that Law was forced to stand. Kidd left the dark haired man to slump slightly as he continued to shake, and stooped to pick up the scalpel that had been on the mattress. When the red haired man rose, Kidd glanced at Trafalgar as he twirled the blade between his fingers, "Do you mind?"

Trafalgar shrugged and moved forward, partially to keep Law from struggling too much, and mostly to indicate to Kidd where he would allow him to cut the body. The dark haired ghost raised a brow at him, "Is this revenge for what I did to your back?"

"Nah, just want to hear this one scream. Since you don't." Kidd responded with a smirk, pleased when he noticed the scowl aimed his way.

Trafalgar finally shook his head, "Fine. Just do what I tell you then."

Law let out a faint sound when the scalpel rested against his skin, and closed his eyes, as if he wanted to block out what was happening. The dark haired man just wanted this to end.

-x-

Hawkins and Marco forced the front door open, and immediately went for the small door that led to the cellar, as Perona and Koala followed after them. Marco tried to force the small door open, but it was stuck fast. Some otherworldly power was holding it shut, and it felt malevolent from what Marco could sense.

"Get out of the way." Koala stated, and ran up to the cellar door as the two men backed away. Koala took a deep breath, before she turned swiftly and lashed out with a foot as she roundhouse kicked the door, which cracked under the force. Bracing both feet on the ground, Koala swung a fist, and the door gave way, crashing down the stairs. Brushing off her hands, she placed them on her hips and turned to the other three, "What are you standing there for? Let's go!" Koala thought that she should have done that in the first place, but knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything for Law or Eustass if they were possessed.

Hawkins fixed Marco with a surprised look, though Marco merely shrugged in response, having seen Koala in action before. At this point, nothing the woman did really surprised the short haired man.

Perona went down the stairs silently, as if listening as she walked, before she came to the base of the stairs and spoke, "I can sense the spirits now."

Koala came down after the pink haired medium, and found the door without a handle first, but she couldn't find any way to open it. It was almost as if it were there for decoration, but from the faint sounds she heard issuing from the other side of it, knew that wasn't true, "I can't open it."

Hawkins and Marco tested the door themselves, but they were unable to find any way to open it. By now, all of them could hear something going on the other side of the door.

Perona came forward and placed a hand on the door,"I can sense Eustass, Law and Sabo. I believe that at least one spirit is possessing Eustass or Law. I'm uncertain about the other spirit. It's aura is a little erratic." Perona moved away from the door as Koala began to run her hands along it again.

"There has to be some way to open it." Koala insisted, but after another look, there didn't appear to be. So how had the ghosts gotten Sabo and the others into the room? Koala stepped back from the door, eyeing it intently as she shook her legs and arms out. Perhaps she could break it down like she had before...?

"We'll have to use something to break it down. Do you think there an ax in the shed in the backyard? Or something like it?" Marco questioned, as he reached out with a hand to hold Koala back by her shoulder to prevent her from trying to take the handless door down herself.

-x-

Kidd had grown bored of Law's whimpers and screams from being cut up with the scalpel, so he dropped the sharp instrument. The red haired man reached up, and with a few deft movements, unchained the other man. With a grin, Kidd lifted Law up and pinned him up against the brick wall.

Law, despite still being in pain from being sliced up with the scalpel, had figured out Kidd's intention. Law tried to protest, but it came out weak and quiet, "Stop...please stop..." His voice caught as Kidd pressed him harder up against the wall, and noticed that Kidd caught something that had been thrown through the air. Law took a breath to steady himself, but when the dark haired man opened his mouth to protest, he instead ended up choking when the red haired man stuffed a gag into his mouth. It silenced any further attempt at protest for the time being.

Kidd glanced to the side at Trafalgar, "Guess I should have done that before. He complains more than you do." Kidd smirked at the scowl that the ghost fixed him with, before shifting slightly to keep a hold of Law, "Were you gonna help out or watch?"

Law squeezed his eyes shut again when he noticed that Trafalgar, the ghost that looked so much like him, had started to drift toward him. Was the ghost going to try and possess him again?

Trafalgar ran a hand lightly through Law's hair with his ghostly touch, and the motion made Law shudder. Trafalgar peered up at Kidd, "Are you sure you want to do it against the wall? What about your back?"

"It's fine. Just patch it up soon." Kidd grinned as he braced Law's mostly limp body against the wall. Kidd kept one arm beneath Law to keep him up, and shivered minutely when Trafalgar touched his shoulder lightly. Kidd cast him a brief look, before he turned his attention back to Law, and without warning, thrust into the dark haired man, driving out a sharp cry of pain, though it was muffled by the gag.

After a few thrusts, Law let out a low sob and flung his arms around the other man's neck, burying his face against the crook of Kidd's throat as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Law dimly heard both men laughing at him, and more or less tired to block out what was happening to him. Law managed to remain near silent, but he ended up letting out a muffled moan as Kidd came. Law gave a whimper of relief around the gag as Kidd pulled out and lay him down on the mattress, but doubted that the red head or the other ghost was finished with him.

Law lay still as he gasped for breath around the gag, and found that he couldn't protest much as Kidd lay down next to him. Law felt the red haired man remove the gag, but kept his eyes closed. The dark haired man wanted to block as much as he could from what was happening to him, if at all possible.

Kidd ignored Law for the moment as he addressed Trafalgar, as he had heard his lover say something, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Hang on." Kidd let out a sigh, before Eustass' body went limp alongside Law's.

-x-

Kidd cast a glance down at Eustass and Law, "You don't think that they're going to try and escape, do you?"

Trafalgar rested a hand on Kidd's shoulder as he glanced down at the two men resting on the mattress, "No, I think they're too exhausted. Come on, let's go get some energy from the blond." Trafalgar glanced at the door, not at all pleased, "I think they're nearly here."

Kidd glanced at the door as well, before he narrowed his eyes at the sound of voices, "Yeah...dammit."

-x

Law lay where Kidd had left him, and was only slightly startled when Eustass spoke, though he calmed down quite a bit when he realized that it wasn't Kidd anymore.

"Fuck. What the hell was that?" Eustass' body was sore, and he carefully stayed on his stomach, as his back felt like someone had cut it up. This was not at all what he had signed up for while working for Sabo and Koala. He really hadn't thought much of the paranormal, and had mostly taken it as a joke. This, this was something far different, and much more dangerous. He had never been out of control of his body, and being possessed like that had been a terrifying loss of control. One that he had been unable to fight back against.

"Are you all right?" Law questioned, faintly amused when Eustass scoffed.

"Some ghosts possessed us so that they could fuck. How am I supposed to feel 'all right'?" Eustass looked around the immediate area, and promptly decided that he was going to ignore the fact that he was naked. "What about you?"

"I could be better." Law admitted, "I can't move very well." And he supposed that lack of movement was why he didn't feel the presence of the ghosts nearby. Apparently, neither was worried about Eustass or himself trying to get up and walk away. Instead, Law heard whimpers from someone else in the room, and wondered who it was.

There was a silence as Law and Eustass rested, both of them trying to figure out if they had enough strength to try and get away before the ghosts tried to possess them again. It didn't seem very likely.

Law thought that he heard the door to the room being banged upon, but it didn't open from whatever the people outside of it were doing. Law wanted to check it out, but his attention was soon occupied when Trafalgar came back to him, and Kidd repossessed Eustass' body despite Eustass' vehement swearing against the intrusion.

"You fucking son of a bitch! Get away from me!" Eustass uselessly swung an arm through the air, before he let out a faint groan and dropped to the mattress. He had fallen silent, but from the look of it, continued to fight within his mind as Kidd attempted to take his body over again.

Law's miserable mood continued when Eustass sat back up. It seemed like the red haired ghost was back in control of Eustass' body, and from the way he looked at him, wasn't quite finished with him. Law tried to back away from Kidd, but didn't make it far as the red haired man seized him by one arm and tugged him forward. The dark haired man's body was too exhausted to prevent that, and Law squirmed uncomfortably as Kidd turned him so that his back was to the red head's chest. Law bit his lip as he felt Kidd begin to finger him with lotion, and let out a faint cry of protest as Trafalgar's ghostly touch centered on his dick. Law grunted as Kidd stuffed the gag back into his mouth, and whined as Kidd pressed up against him.

Law gasped around the gag, shaking. No. Not again. He couldn't take this anymore. He didn't even have enough energy left in him to scream. Hell. He was in a never-ending hell.

Kidd merely chuckled, and was pleased when Trafalgar repossessed Law, as Kidd knew his lover was back in control when he thrust sharply, and the other man responded to the thrust by spitting the gag out and biting him.

Trafalgar let up on the bite to kiss the red haired man when Kidd wrapped a hand around him.

Before the two could enjoy themselves again, it soon became evident to both of them that the people outside the hidden room weren't going to bother trying to open the door. From the sound of it, they were going to try and break it down instead from the dull thud that reverberated in the hidden room.

"We should get out of here." Kidd muttered, reaching over for the clothing that he had thrown off before. "Fix my back later."

Trafalgar nodded, and rose silently, plucking a bag from one of the shelves and haphazardly tossing medical supplies in it that were still usable after all of the years it had been down in the room, untouched. Trafalgar dumped the bag near the mattress, and reached for the clothes that were on the ground.

The two men got dressed in near silence, except for the sound of the constant pounding of a weapon against the door. Kidd finished dressing before Trafalgar, and went across the mattress to task assist the dark haired man with his clothes.

Trafalgar didn't say anything when Kidd dragged a hand along his member before tugging the boxers up, even though he did shiver slightly at the motion. Trafalgar put his pants on, and chuckled as Kidd pulled the sweater back over his head, as the red haired man had trailed his hands along as well, and Trafalgar was forced to paw Kidd away, "We can have more sex later. You are right. We need to get out of here." Trafalgar glanced at the door, "Would you be able to get past the people that are out there without the spell caster banishing you from that body?"

Kidd smiled and grabbed Trafalgar by the hand, and led his now frowning lover toward the back of the hidden room, and only let go of his hand long enough to pull aside a shelf. Kidd stuck a dagger into his belt, and noticed that Trafalgar did similarly with a scalpel. Kidd opened another hidden door, and saw Trafalgar give him a funny look as he grabbed his hand again.

"There was another door?" Trafalgar didn't recall it ever being there, and the fact that Kidd had kept it secret from him was rather impressive.

Kidd smirked playfully, "What? I never told you I made an escape tunnel from my house?"

"No." Trafalgar said simply, but hesitated following Kidd into the darkness beyond the door. When he spoke again, his voice was full of trepidation, "Eustass-ya...is it an underground tunnel?"

"Yeah, it took me about a year to dig my way out a good enough distance from the house. Why?" Kidd glanced back at Trafalgar, and held on to his hand more tightly when Trafalgar took a step back.

"It's underground..." Trafalgar murmured, squeezing his hand against Kidd's.

Both froze as something whacked against the door, and this time, it cracked through the door, and they heard a feminine voice.

"It went through!"

"Come  _on_ , Trafalgar." Kidd muttered, and forcefully tugged the dark haired man with him, so that he could close the door behind them, even though it plunged them into darkness just as the other door splintered open further.

"Sabo!"

Kidd stooped, knowing that the tunnel he made wasn't exactly high. While it was pitch black, the red haired man knew the way. He's traversed it enough times dead and alive to know it well. The only problem was that Trafalgar had frozen in place, his breath coming out in short, gasping pants. "Trafalgar?" When there was no response, Kidd felt around in the dark until he came back into contact with Trafalgar, who immediately wrapped his limbs tightly around Kidd, trembling. "What the fuck?"

Trafalgar pressed against him tightly, and there was nothing sexual in the way the dark haired doctor clung to him, "Can't breathe. I can't  _breathe_ , Eustass-ya…"

Shit, so that was what was wrong. Kidd had been so focused on getting them out of the house that he had forgotten that Trafalgar probably wasn't going to like this particular escape route due to how he had died. Whereas Kidd knew he wouldn't want to be near any large bodies of water any time soon, he'd forgotten, briefly, that Trafalgar had been buried alive and suffocated to death. Kidd hugged his trembling lover to him tightly, and spoke firmly, "You're fine. You  _can_  breathe. It'll only take us a few minutes to get out of here, and then we'll be able to put those people off our trail. Come on."

Trafalgar took in a harsh, raspy gasp and clung to Kidd tighter, shaking his head, but a sudden pounding on the door startled him out of his thoughts.

"Fire! There's a fire! Where the heck did that come from?"

"It's spreading! Get Sabo free! Get out of the house! Hurry!"

Kidd tried to free himself from the tight hold Trafalgar held him in, so that he could lead his dark haired lover along the tunnel, "I smell smoke. Come on, suck it up and move. If you don't, we'll lose these bodies." Kidd felt Trafalgar hold him for a moment longer, and the red head awkwardly patter the doctor on the shoulder, "Keep low, or you'll hit your head."

Trafalgar took a shuddering breath before he nodded his head against Kidd's chest. The dark haired man stepped back, before he reached out and held tightly onto Kidd's hand.

Kidd squeezed the hand in return as he stooped further and started to walk, "Just breathe. We'll be out soon."

-x-

Ace stared in horror as the house was engulfed in flames. It was burning far more than he had meant it to, and he was disturbed that it almost seemed as if he had started the fire without the help of any matches. But that couldn't be. Ace froze in place when he started to hear shouts, and realized that there were people in the house after all. He had thought it was empty. Ace hadn't seen anyone before he'd come back.

Hawkins shoved the front door open, and left, along with Marco, Perona, and Koala, who was helping along an injured Sabo, who was half conscious.

"Sabo?" Ace hadn't known that the wavy haired blond was in the area. He hurried forward to meet the group, and seized Sabo, refraining from shaking him, "What happened?" Seeing the hastily wrapped bandages around one half of his face, the black haired teen added, "Are you all right?"

Sabo smiled faintly at the other, "I'll be fine. The ghosts were a lot stronger than I thought they would be." Sabo swayed in place, and Koala quickly moved to get a better hold on him as Ace assisted her, still in shock at what had just happened. Sabo looked over Ace's shoulder, "Wait..."

Who he wanted to wait was soon made clear as Ace felt someone size his nearest arm. The older teen stumbled as the person that grabbed him all but dragged him over to a streetlight, where he was shoved up against it. And saw who had done it. Marco. And he didn't look happy.

"What did you  _do_ , Ace?"

Ace gave Marco a confused look, "A ghost, Kidd, showed up at the hospital and threatened me and Luffy. I thought if I set the house on fire, it would do something." Ace glanced at the blaze, "I didn't mean for it to burn  _that_  much."

"You didn't think to check to see if there was anyone in the house before you set fire to it?" Marco demanded.

"I didn't think that it would spread so quickly." Ace responded, and watched as the house blazed even brighter as it caught further on fire.

"Don't be so hard on him, Marco. You knew that he had the potential in him. Someone should have told him sooner before it became a problem." Sabo commented, leaning heavily against Koala.

Seeing Ace's confused expression grow, Perona supplied an explanation, "Your friend believes that your affinity for causing fires is because you are capable of pyrokinetics." The pink haired medium glanced at the house, "That would explain why the house caught on fire and spread so quickly."

"What?"

"Marco?" Sabo asked, as if expecting the other man to explain.

Marco sighed, but relented and let go of Ace's arm, "If you do have control over fire due to pyrokinetics, you can will the fire to be smaller. The house will still burn, but not as much."

Ace wore a doubtful expression, because the very idea was ridiculous, but supposed he could give it a try. Ace turned his attention to the fire, and thought about it being smaller, and was shocked when the flames receded, though some of the house did continue to burn. The freckled teen began to grin. Cool. He could set fires with his mind.

Marco almost shook his head at Ace's expression. It seemed that he would have to figure out how to get Ace to not abuse the newfound ability to set things ablaze.

Perona ignored the two men as she spoke calmly, "Something needs to be done about the spirits. I cannot sense them, nor have I seen Law or Eustass." Perona glanced at Ace, "Despite your good intentions, burning the house down partially has freed the spirits of being tied to this place." Perona looked around the yard, silent for a moment before she continued, "I don't sense anyone in the house anymore, living or dead. The spirits have been given free reign with the bodies they've possessed." Perona tilted her head as she frowned, "One of the spirit's original bodies may have been buried in the house itself, but at this point, I doubt that burning the remains would get rid of that spirit."

"And we didn't find the other spirit's body at the cemetery. Could it have been buried in the house as well?" Marco questioned, stepping away from Ace.

Perona exchanged glances with Hawkins, who shook his head, before she turned to Marco, "Neither of us can tell, but even if we could, it may do no good. The spirit that had been down in the basement...it had begun to turn into a more inhuman spirit with all of the time it spent alone and cut off from the rest of the world."

"We need to find them, don't we? To get them to stop possessing Law and the other guy?" Ace questioned, as he considered trying to set the mailbox on fire. He winced when Marco cuffed him upside the head. Ace decided that he really needed to work on schooling his expressions to not give away his thoughts.

Perona nodded, and pointedly ignored the argument Ace and Marco fell into, "It will be difficult. They've masked their presences from me."

-x-

Around eight in the morning was when Crocodile received the news of a house he owned partially burning. He was not at all pleased when he learned which house, and immediately found a phone and dialed a number. He knew the other man would be awake by now, and was also likely to have heard the news of the fire. The violet haired man didn't even bother with a greeting as his call was answered, "Doflamingo, why the hell is the house I rented to Law half brurned down?" Crocodile was extremely irritated when Doflamingo appeared to be gleeful with the news, due to how laidback he was in his response.

_"I suppose that everyone got out if the cops aren't swooping down on you in your home?"_ When there was no response from Crocodile, Doflamingo added,  _"I can reimburse you for the damage done, and talk to Law about that teenager. You can never tell when those kids are going to do something stupid."_

Crocodile calmed considerably at that, and was more or less placated at the idea of having payment for the damage done. Crocodile stuffed a cigar in his mouth and lit it as he grumbled, "I'm not going to rent any of the other houses that I have to the doctor if he still has those teens with him."

Doflamingo sounded strangely cheerful in his response,  _"That won't be a problem. I'll try and convince Law to stay at my mansion until he has enough money to afford a place of his own. The teens can go live with their grandfather again. I've heard that his place has finished with renovations."_

"Good luck with that." Crocodile commented dryly, "From the sound of it, the last place the doctor wants to be is with you." The violent haired man hung up on Doflamingo, as the blond's response to that had been laughter. Crocodile puffed away at his cigar, wondering what was so damn funny to the other man, but figured that it was more than likely just one of Doflamingo's many quirks.

It probably meant nothing.

-x-

Doflamingo remained motionless next to the phone that he'd set aside. After a few moments of silence, Doflamingo sprawled backward onto his couch and grinned eerily as he readjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. The blond haired man was pleased that things were finally beginning to move along after such a long time. His patience had won out in the end, and Doflamingo was looking forward to collecting what was rightfully his. Something that he felt had been snatched from his grasp unfairly by one interloper that he'd dismissed completely, as well as bad timing and misfortune.

Doflamingo's smile stretched further as he settled on his couch. It was really too bad for Trafalgar that Kidd hadn't mentioned how he'd reacted to the red head possessing him. If Trafalgar had, the dark haired man would have already taken himself and Kidd halfway across the world and into some safety bunker. Trafalgar would have never gone to one of his old haunts, blissfully unaware. Doflamingo sat up and ran a hand along the table before him. He would change that. The blond's other hand tightened against the couch in a fist. Kidd and Trafalgar may have though that there was nothing from their shared past to be afraid of, but they were wrong.

Dead wrong, and both of them would regret not being more careful. Not thinking of the possibility that someone else could have survived as a spirit for nearly as long as they had. Waiting. Biding their time. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

Doflamingo had done his own waiting, quite more than most would have the patience for, and he was ready to make a move at last, now that things had finally been set into motion.


	28. Part Two: Complications

If Kidd had thought about the implications of taking Trafalgar through the underground tunnel he had made, he would have rethought his decision. Kidd believed that Trafalgar would have calmed down by now, but the fact that he hadn't made the red haired man feel he should have taken his chances with the spell caster. Kidd hadn't realized that the other man would be so affected, but knew it was his own fault for not thinking about how Trafalgar had died in the first place. Kidd winced when the dark haired man squeezed one of his arms.

"How much further?" Trafalgar grit out, as he desperately tried to remain as calm as possible. He felt short of breath, and his heart was beating far too quickly for his liking. He felt close to having a complete panic attack, and the only reason he hadn't completely broken down was because he didn't want to make it harder on Kidd to get him out of here. Passing out and losing control on the body wasn't something that Trafalgar wanted to happen until he and Kidd where somewhere where they could make sure that their body doubles couldn't escape.

"Not too much farther. We would have already been out if you didn't keep stopping every few steps," Kidd responded, already anticipating the fact that his dark haired lover's hand would tighten against his arm. It did, and when Trafalgar spoke, his voice was cold, albeit a little shaky.

"Be grateful you didn't die by being buried under dirt. Otherwise you would be stopping too. I don't want to be buried alive a second time." Trafalgar said after a moment, before he loosened his hold on Kidd's arm. He didn't want to keep delaying things. He just wanted out of this place, now, before he stressed out to much over what could happen.

Kidd snorted softly, and, making sure that he was stooped far enough over to avoid hitting his head, began to walk, "What? You don't think I did a good enough job on this tunnel? It ain't gonna collapse. I made sure that there was enough support."

"Over a hundred years ago." Trafalgar sniped back, and was rather relived for something to occupy his mind. He did derive enjoyment from arguing with Kidd, because the other man's comebacks could be quite entertaining sometimes. In that he sounded embarrassed on occasion. Trafalgar didn't get a response, because that was when he felt a small amount of dirt fall from above.

Kidd felt Trafalgar go rigid and inwardly swore, as he realized what must have caught the other man's attention. Kidd had felt some dirt fall on himself too, but it was normal if people happened to be walking overhead. To the dark haired doctor, it probably seemed like the end of the world was coming, as his breath had begun to come out in rapid, shuddering gasps. Kidd opened his mouth to say something, anything, to prevent Trafalgar from panicking completely, and in that moment of distraction, Eustass took the chance to try and take back control of his own body. Kidd let go of Trafalgar as he sunk to the ground, "Shit."

Trafalgar, despite having an internal crisis, had enough sense to realize that something was wrong, "Eustass-ya?"

"Dammit. Dammit. He's fighting back." Kidd cursed, scraping his nails into the ground, "I don't think I can hold onto the body. He's fighting back too hard."

Trafalgar peered in the gloom, and since he could see a faint light coming from further ahead, was able to see Kidd on the ground, "Can you hold on until we're out of the tunnel?" Trafalgar, while still aware that he was surrounded by dirt with the potential of a cave in, was more concerned that Kidd would leave him with his pissed off doppelganger.

Kidd shook his head, sinking all the way to the ground. He tried to retain control, but it only made Eustass fight back even harder, "Trafalgar...I'm s..." Kidd broke himself off that train of thought, "I don't have enough energy left to fight him down."

Trafalgar cursed. That was what he had been afraid of. Maybe he shouldn't have injured the body so much. It likely took a mental toll on Kidd, and that had taken his energy down low enough for Eustass to seize the chance to try and regain control. Trafalgar briefly checked himself over, reaching out his senses to see if Law was going to try anything of the sort. Trafalgar found the other's presence, but it was faint, and the dark haired man was satisfied. It wasn't very likely that Law was going to attempt to take back control, as he appeared to be too weakened to put up a fight.

Trafalgar stilled when he felt Kidd's ghostly presence appear next to him, and felt a light touch on his shoulder, that felt like a hand. Trafalgar sensed that the red haired ghost was annoyed at Eustass, and resentful. Trafalgar noted with trepidation that Eustass was stirring on the ground.

_'Can you hold on to the body you're possessing?'_

Trafalgar was half distracted by the question Kidd had asked him. "I think so." Trafalgar was confident that his mental resilience was far higher than Law's. Trafalgar was about to try and go past Eustass, when the other man surprised him. Trafalgar had been right. Eustass was pissed and not at all in the mood to play around with ghosts.

The dark haired man grunted as he was hit from the side by Eustass, and after a brief, and pathetic, in Trafalgar's mind, struggle, found himself pinned face down to the dirt ground. Trafalgar gasped, choking on a breathful of loose dirt. It threw him into a complete and utter panic as his heart raced and he started scrabbling his hands against the ground. As if he were buried under the ground.

Eustass squinted, trying to keep his eyes on Trafalgar in the dim light provided. Eustass made sure to keep Trafalgar held down, and reached back with his right hand to draw the dagger from his belt. Eustass, while he hadn't appreciated the ghost possessing him, was pleased that the bastard had thought to bring along a weapon. Eustass rested the dagger at the nape of Trafalgar's neck. The red haired man was tired and sore, and not in the mood for any more bullshit, "Hold still and shut the fuck up. You can breathe just fine."

Trafalgar stilled, and even though his breath was still coming in rapid, gasping breaths, knew enough to do as the other said. The dark haired man was confident that he could retain control while awake, but wasn't sure what would happen if Eustass knocked out the body.

Eustass felt a chill, and knew that it was the spirit that had been possessing him, "Back off, you son of a bitch. Don't even think about possessing me again!" When the cold didn't dissipate, the red haired man used his left hand to press Trafalgar against the ground more heavily, "I can knock him out and drag his unconscious body out of this damn tunnel."

Trafalgar squirmed, panicking as his head was pressed closer to the ground. With a slight tilt of his head, the dark haired man sought Kidd out. He caught sight of Kidd, and noticed that he was kneeling on the ground next to him, and giving Eustass a frustrated and angry look. Trafalgar coughed, which drew the red haired ghost's attention to him. Trafalgar made eye contact, and spoke, struggling to keep his voice calm despite all of the panic he was feeling, "I can't stay in here any longer. I need out. I  _have_  to get out, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar closed his eyes, straining to keep himself under control, and felt cold settle over his head. The dark haired doctor felt his ghostly lover run a hand lightly through his hair, before the cold retreated.

Eustass waited warily to see if the other spirit would come back, but after another minute or so it appeared that it had gotten the message. The red haired man shook his head, "Fucking ghosts." He was going to get Sabo and the others for this. Eustass felt around Trafalgar's belt, and removed the scalpel, and dropped it into one of his own pockets. Eustass stooped and picked up the bag that the dark haired man had been carrying with him, before seizing Trafalgar and hoisting him upright. Eustass was getting out of this damn tunnel, and he was going to make sure that Trafalgar wasn't going to attack him. He did not want the other spirit to possess him again, so as much as he hated it, he would have to find Marco and the others.

Eustass pushed a rather compliant Trafalgar along, not realizing that Kidd was drifting along after them from a distance, waiting for his energy to return.

-x-

Trafalgar was relieved to finally be out of the tunnel, but if he thought he would be able to escape, he was wrong. Trafalgar hadn't realize that Eustass resented what he and Kidd had done to him and Law. Trafalgar swatted Eustass' back, "Put me down. I am not going anywhere near that spell caster." The two of them were making there way along a quiet part of the neighborhood, and it was only pride and self restraint that kept Trafalgar from raising his voice.

Eustass tightened his left arm more tightly around Trafalgar's thighs, "Quit moving around so damn much. You don't get a choice. You're the ones who possessed us in the first place."

Trafalgar ran his hands along Eustass' back after a moment's pause, drawing forth a curse, "Don't tell me what to do."

"Shut up, you fucking ghost." Eustass winced as Trafalgar merely ran his fingertips along his back some more. Damn. Eustass really wanted to beat the shit out of this son of a bitch, but refrained from doing so, since the doctor was possessed by the man he wanted to beat up, "I hope the long haired guy blasts you out of existence, you psycho. Stop touching my wounds like that!"

Trafalgar smirked and merely continued to prod the wounds. Eustass would have to eventually set him down, and he would take that chance to run. Even though the body was sore, Trafalgar was motivated to get away. He could outrun Eustass if he had enough obstacles to put between them. What the dark haired doctor hadn't expected was for Eustass to be rough in his decision to get him to stop what he was doing.

At a particularly painful prod, Eustass decided to hell with not harming the other's body. He just wouldn't beat him up. Eustass was, however, going to make it clear that he wasn't going to take any abuse, verbal or otherwise, from a ghost.

Trafalgar winced as Eustass set him down and shoved him up against the nearest wall of an alley they were walking by. The dark haired man rested his head against the cool wall of the alley. The dark haired man wondered what the hell the other man was doing until he felt Eustass come closer and reach around his waist for his belt. Trafalgar shivered minutely at the action, but smirked as he decided to tease the red head, "I thought you didn't like being possessed and having sex?" Trafalgar wasn't sure what Eustass was doing, but twitched as his belt was removed. Once he realized what the red haired man was up to, he had no time to prevent it. Trafalgar let out a pained hiss as Eustass yanked his arms behind his back and secured his wrists with the belt.

Eustass, satisfied that Trafalgar wouldn't be able to poke at his wounds anymore, hoisted the dark haired doctor over his shoulder and started to walk again.

Trafalgar was silent as he sullenly attempted to free his hands. And while he did that, he couldn't help but think that Eustass and Kidd's responses to him were remarkably similar. And that he found it cute, as well as disturbing, just how much of his lover he could see in the man right now.

"I can't believe I left my damn phone back at that house." Eustass grumbled, which meant he'd be stuck with a ghost in the doctor's body until he found a way to contact Marco and the others.

"Someone is going to see us." Trafalgar commented, though he couldn't see any other people out at the moment. It would be convenient for him if some cops saw Eustass toting him around. He might be able to slip away that way, and find Kidd.

"I suppose..." Dammit, the ghost was right. Eustass guessed that it would be a problem for him if the cops or someone else spotted him carrying Trafalgar around. It would put a damper on him trying to find Marco and the others, and Eustass wanted to get the spirit out of Law's body as soon as possible. Eustass looked around the immediate area, and spotted a car parked nearby. Eustass grinned and headed over to it.

Trafalgar couldn't see what Eustass was doing, but obviously the other man was able to open the doors. It had just taken him a minute or so to do so. Trafalgar heard another door open, and gasped as Eustass dumped him into the backseat of the car. Before Trafalgar could say anything, the door slammed shut on him.

Eustass walked around to the driver's side door and opened it. He crouched down and fiddled with the wiring of the car. Within a few minutes, Eustass had the car up and running, and he grinned again as he slid into the driver's seat and shut the door.

"Are you stealing this thing?" Trafalgar wondered, and flicked his gaze in Eustass' direction, catching sight of the red head grinning at him. Trafalgar felt slightly guilty that he stared, but the smile made him think about Kidd. He couldn't remember the last time his lover had smiled in a carefree way, unless he counted when Kidd had seen him again after being apart for so long.

"It's only stealing if you get caught." Eustass replied as he pulled the car away from the sidewalk and started down the street.

Trafalgar gave up on trying to free himself and turned his attention to Eustass, "Don't get too comfortable. The Eustass-ya I know will follow us."

Eustass kept his eyes on the road, "Your creepy ghost boyfriend had better stay the fuck away from me." He was still sore, and Eustass couldn't even find a comfortable way to sit.

Trafalgar smirked, "He'll follow us anywhere you choose to go."

Eustass turned the car down a ramp, "Shut up." Eustass was rather surprised that the other man did so, but a quick peek in the rear view mirror let Eustass know that Trafalgar was thinking some nasty things with the way he was staring at him.

-x-

Eustass really wasn't up for dealing with an irritable ghost. It was fucking weird to begin with, and the fact that the ghost was in someone else's body made it even stranger.

Eustass had made certain to ditch the car a half mile from his apartment, so that the cops wouldn't know that it was him that had jacked it. He had been picked up on some minor grand theft in the past but that was when he'd been a teenager and had been able to get off on lighter charges. With that thought in mind, the red head had made sure he didn't leave any finger prints behind, before going to retrieve the dark haired doctor from the backseat. Eustass had had no problem manhandling Trafalgar into the apartment, and had all but shoved the other man into the bathroom after freeing his hands from the belt. The red head had slammed the door in Trafalgar's face, and had set the other man off. He'd been cursing and threatening Eustass for the past fifteen minutes.

"Open the damn door!"

Eustass leaned more heavily against the bathroom door of his apartment, even if he winced because of the wounds on his back. Eustass was glad that none of his roommates were back yet. They would have likely been very confused as to why there was an annoyed, unknown male in the bathroom threatening to kill him or cut off his balls or beat him to within an inch of his life. Eustass had merely countered the threats by asking Trafalgar if he'd really wanted to damage his body if he wanted his boyfriend to possess him again. That had led to some interesting curses, and as amusing as they were, Eustass was bored of it now. "Shut up already!"

There was a short pause, before Trafalgar's voice came from the other side of the door, "Let me out of here now!" A loud smack accompanied the announcement, along with a curse.

"Shut the fuck up and take a damn shower already!" Eustass snapped irritably. He figured that Trafalgar would have grown weary of throwing himself against the door by now. The only reason he was making Trafalgar take a shower in the first place was because he was covered in dirt, and Eustass didn't want his roommates to think that he had been out burying a body or something of the sort. Eustass didn't hear a response, and after a few moments, heard the shower start to run, "About time." Eustass muttered. He wanted a shower as well, but knew he had to find some way to prevent Trafalgar from running off. He didn't want him to find Kidd and bring him back to try and possess him again.

An idea came to mind, and while awkward, would have to suffice until Eustass had had the chance to take a shower. The red haired man stood up and after making sure the water was still running, crossed over to the small living room and picked up the blanket draped over the back of it. Eustass went back over to the door to the bathroom, and waited, resting up against the wall next to the door.

Ten minutes passed before the water turned off, and Eustass tensed, ready to pounce.

-x-

Trafalgar felt a lot better after getting the dirt off of himself. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but it had been an unpleasant reminder of how he had died. The dark haired doctor wrapped the towel around his waist, and frowned at the door. Eustass would have to let him out of the bathroom at some point, and he would have to try and get away before he could do anything. It was a pity that Eustass had taken his scalpel. Trafalgar could have caused some damage.

The dark haired man went to the door and turned the knob, pushing, and blinked in surprise when it opened with no resistance. He was immediately suspicious, but pushed the door open all the way. He expected to see Eustass, but the man was nowhere in sight. Odd. Wasn't he trying to keep him from escaping until the spell caster could get to him?

Trafalgar took a few cautious steps out of the bathroom, looking around warily. He took a few more steps, and was about to make a break for the front door of the apartment, when something dropped over his head. The dark haired man reacted instantly, but not quickly enough as the material around him was used to pin his arms to his sides. Trafalgar shook the material off of his head, but was too late to free the rest of himself.

"I thought you'd be smarter than that." Eustass commented as he loosely wrapped the blanket around Trafalgar. It wouldn't hold the other man in place for long, but it would at least keep him from running until he had the chance to take a shower.

Trafalgar glared out of the corner of his eye at a smug-looking Eustass, but for the moment, couldn't help but agree with the statement. He  _should_  have known better. Trafalgar knew that he'd been thwarted, so he didn't even bother to struggle. Inwardly, Trafalgar couldn't help but wonder why Kidd hadn't shown up yet. He should have been able to easily follow after them as a ghost, and wouldn't have gotten lost for long. Trafalgar closed his eyes briefly.

Kidd should have already been here by now, as the apartment Trafalgar found himself in was where his old home had used to stand over one hundred years ago.

Trafalgar held still as Eustass carried him over to the couch and dropped him onto it, dumping the comforter over him and further restricting his movements.

Eustass offered another smile, pleased that he had outsmarted Trafalgar. Eustass retrieved a pair of pants draped over a chair, and headed for the bathroom, "Don't make a mess of the place if you free yourself. I have to pay for damages."

The bathroom door closed, and Trafalgar glared at it, as if he could set the man inside on fire. He certainly was going to break something now as soon as he got the damn blanket off of him. Trafalgar heard the water turn on, and knew that he didn't have long to free himself and get the hell out of the apartment. A few minutes passed, and Trafalgar finally freed himself of the blanket, and kicked it away from himself as he stood up and hitched the towel around his waist again. He doubted that it would stay up for long if he started to run.

Trafalgar headed over to the front door. He would have stolen some of Eustass' clothing, but didn't want to delay leaving. He wanted a good head start. Trafalgar turned the knob and shoved. But the door didn't budge.

It was locked.

Trafalgar swore and jiggled the door knob some more. It was locked. Why was it locked from the inside? Why? The dark haired doctor struggled with the door for some time, until he noticed that the water had turned off. Trafalgar heard the bathroom door open, and knew that getting away was going to be much more difficult now.

"Going somewhere?"

Trafalgar half turned, and saw Eustass standing just outside the bathroom door, wearing only the pants that he had brought with him. Trafalgar would have appreciated the sight more if he didn't know that Eustass was going to try and pin him down again until the spellcaster showed up. He still enjoyed the sight anyway. There was nowhere to run, and Trafalgar knew it, and so did Eustass, from the smile that appeared on his face.

"Gonna be difficult?" Eustass questioned, and saw a dark look cross the dark haired man's face. Eustass sidestepped as Trafalgar rushed him, and his hand snapped up to grab one of Trafalgar's arms, and held on tight, "Fine, it'll be more fun this way."

Trafalgar smirked at that, "Fun for which one of us?" The dark haired doctor countered as he reached his other hand around Eustass' back to jab the wounds there. The red haired man let go and Trafalgar put the couch between himself and Eustass.

Eustass matched the other man's grin, "Your towel's slipping." Eustass batted the pillow thrown his way to one side, "This ain't gonna work in your favor, you know."

Trafalgar knew that, but figured that if he delayed long enough, Kidd would show up and take over Eustass' body again. Trafalgar knew that he wouldn't be able to delay for long, especially when Eustass merely climbed over the couch and went after him. "Eustass-ya..." Trafalgar muttered, narrowly ducking out of the way. He hoped the spell caster hadn't come across Kidd.

-x-

Outside of the apartment, Kidd drifted back and forth outside the front door. He heard Trafalgar and Eustass, but whenever he tired to enter the apartment, he found himself unable to. It almost felt similar to what Hawkins had down to prevent him from leaving the house property, but at least whatever this was didn't drain his energy. It was just inconvenient, because Kidd was unable to go and help Trafalgar.

Voices started to come from behind, and Kidd turned his attention to them. There were two people headed for the door he was in front of. Kidd drifted to one side to allow them to open the door, and was pleased to find that he could enter the apartment room if he kept close to the two people entering.

-x-

Killer knew that Eustass has been tight lipped about what had happened to him after being caught attempting to assassinate Dragon, but the long haired blond wasn't sure what to make of the scene before him. It didn't so much bother him that Eustass was pinning down an unfamiliar man, but the fact that the towel the dark haired man wore around his waist was the only thing he wore. Killer shook his head, "Kidd, do you really have to bring people home like this? The cops are going to raid this place again if you keep doing stuff like this."

Eustass glanced up from where he had Trafalgar pinned down to the ground. He'd luckily been able to take the other man down before he'd gotten to the kitchen and the knives that were there. Eustass shrugged, "Trouble from work."

"Which work?" Killer questioned, wondering how a naked man in a towel could relate to a job.

"The one with ghosts. Not the job that I want to do." Eustass responded, resting more heavily against Trafalgar to prevent him from wriggling away.

The other man who had entered the apartment walked by, his pierced visage scowling at the sight, "As soon as I make enough money, I'm leaving this place."

Eustass laughed as he passed by, "Good luck trying to hang out with your idols from school. One of them is so fucking oblivious he probably wouldn't even notice you."

The green haired teen bristled as he stalked to his room, calling over his shoulder, "Shut up! I'm going to meet him this time! Nothing you say will change my mind!"

"Shut up, Bartolomeo! Go fawn over the pictures you have of them in your room and leave us the hell alone. I regret letting you rent with me and Killer every damn day! You're seventeen! You're not even old enough to rent in the first place!" Eustass growled, fisting his hand in Trafalgar's hair to further dissuade him from inching away.

The bedroom door slammed shut, and Killer shook his head, "You shouldn't antagonize him. He might actually pick a fight with you one of these days. He has gotten into some nasty ones at school, but no one caught him at it that's willing to admit it."

"Not gonna happen. He's too busy drooling over the fact that Luffy or Ace talked to him at school months ago. Why he likes those idiots is beyond me. The sooner Bartolomeo graduates the better. Luffy's fourteen. How can a kid that age be cool?" Eustass said in return, and glanced up at Killer, "Do you have your cell? I need to call Marco and get him over here."

Killer nodded as he glanced down at Trafalgar, "Where are his clothes?" He wasn't going to bother mentioning to Eustass that Bartolomeo was also in hysterics over Ace and how he was cool too, and was going to be mum on the fact that the freckled teen had been in the hospital.

"They're covered in dirt."

Killer didn't ask. He didn't want to know why that was.

In the corner of the living room, Kidd was bristling at the fact that Eustass was so close to Trafalgar. He was still low in energy, and decided that he would go drain some from the green haired teen that ha just walked by. Kidd hesitated, but drifted near Trafalgar, and, careful to mask his presence, touched Trafalgar's nearest outstretched arm. Kidd saw him twitch, and, after seeing the smirk, drifted off.

Trafalgar's smile widened even as he was forced to stand up.

Eustass was going to regret not getting the spell caster there more quickly.


	29. Unexpected

Doflamingo languidly walked down a staircase as he headed out of his mansion. He waved away the people that tried to engage him in conversation. He had assured each one that he wouldn't be gone for long, and would return soon enough to answer any questions that someone else couldn't answer.

Outside, the blond haired man oriented himself, and, after a moment of thought pondering each direction, went to go find where his valet had parked his car. The fool always put it in a different place, but if it meant he didn't have to do it himself, fine.

But it didn't matter that day anyway. Doflamingo had more than enough time to get to where he was going. And the tall man needed no backup, as no one else would exactly understand what was going on, other than himself and those he was going to go find and confront.

Doflamingo's lips spilt into a wide grin of satisfaction. They were going to be quite surprised.

-x-

Eustass had been relieved that Killer had asked no questions about the bandages that were wrapped around his head. The red head could tell, however, from the other man's body language that he was more than likely going to ask later.

Eustass flicked his gaze at the closed front door of the apartment, before turning his attention to Trafalgar, who had seen it fit to make himself at home in Eustass' living room. Eustass narrowed his eyes at the smirking man on the couch, stretched out and apparently deeming the place his own space.

Bastard.

Trafalgar returned the gaze steadily, letting his smirk deepen a bit, before he rested more heavily against the couch and closed his eyes. He figured that Kidd would soon be done gathering energy, and would repossess Eustass' body. So, the dark haired man felt no need to flee as much as he had before. It would be pointless and a waste of his own energy. Not that Law seemed to be in any shape to fight back against him at the moment anyway. Trafalgar heard footsteps approaching him, and his lips twitched in another smile as he kept his eyes closed, "I thought you were going to make sure that I didn't try to run away before the spell caster could get here?"

"You don't seem to be in a hurry. Did your ghost boyfriend come into my apartment?" Eustass glanced around, but when he didn't feel any unnatural cold, decided not to think about it. For now, Eustass didn't want to take his eyes off of Trafalgar, in case the other man was up to something. Eustass was fairly certain he could easily overpower the other man like he had before, if he had to.

"Maybe. I don't think I'll tell you. You'll just have to wait and wonder." Trafalgar opened his eyes when the footsteps came even closer, and he tilted his head slightly to see Eustass standing a few feet from him and eying him suspiciously. The dark haired man smiled a little more obviously, but chose to say nothing.

All the smug smiling was starting to get on Eustass' nerves. The other man obviously knew he was in trouble as soon as Killer got back with Hawkins, but was treating it as not that big of a deal. Which made Eustass assume that the other ghost  _was_  somewhere in his apartment, and biding its time, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Eustass twitched when his cell phone went off in the kitchen, and he inwardly swore for leaving it there. The red head exchanged glances with Trafalgar, who merely turned over to face away from him, speaking in a teasing tone, "Aren't you going to get it? Or do you think I'm going to try and make a break for it?" Eustass' jaw set.

Skinny little prick.

Eustass backed away, making sure to keep his attention on Trafalgar as he inched backward to his ringing cell phone. Eustass was never going to leave the damn thing at home ever again. He wouldn't be dealing with a possessed doctor right now if he had brought it. The red haired man turned away briefly and answered his cell, "Killer?"

' _There's a bit of a problem, Kidd.'_

Eustass peeked over at Trafalgar, and found that the other man was still facing away from him, "What?"

' _I'm across the street from the police station. There're questioning the people you're working with, and the long haired man, Hawkins. It doesn't seem like they're going to be getting out anytime soon.'_

"Damn." Eustass had hoped that there wouldn't be anything like that, but the fact that the house seemed to have been set on fire, it made sense. Eustass could have sworn that Trafalgar shifted slightly, like he was holding something, but the next moment, Eustass decided he must have been imagining it.

' _Kidd?'_

"Yeah, what is it?" Eustass asked distractedly.

' _Do you want me to wait here and tell one of them to come here once they're out?'_

Eustass thought about it for a moment, before deciding that it wouldn't be good to be alone for too long with the psycho ghost that'd been taunting him, "No, come back here for now. I can try calling them later. Who knows how the hell long the cops will take questioning them." Eustass would know, and had never again tried lifting supplies from a mechanic shop ever again. Eustass definitely saw a movement this time from the dark haired man, but couldn't figure out what the hell Trafalgar was doing, "I'll see you soon then." Eustass hung up and pocketed his cell phone, and decided that it would take Killer a good half hour to get back, and longer if he had to wait for the bus he'd taken in the first place.

Eustass' eyes settled on Trafalgar. He needed to make sure that he wouldn't try anything funny. Eustass looked away briefly, and his eyes landed on the belt that he had used before to restrain Trafalgar's wrists behind his back. Eustass picked it up, and crossed the room swiftly. If he could catch the other man by surprise, it would make this easier...

Eustass froze in place at the feeling of a sharp object against his throat. The red head made eye contact with Trafalgar, whose eyes were narrowed faintly. Shit. That son of a bitch had moved too quickly.

Trafalgar held the knife he'd snuck from Eustass' belt more heavily up against the red head's throat, "Step back." The dark haired man had figured that Eustass would try something like this, based on the half of the conversation he had overheard. Trafalgar eyed the belt, "And give me that."

Eustass grit his teeth, not vey inclined to do so, but with a nick of the knife against his throat, the red haired man grudgingly lifted the hand that held the belt.

"Go back another two steps."

The knife angled across his throat as Eustass backed up, and Trafalgar took the belt as he stood. Damn. Eustass sure hoped that Killer caught the bus right away, because this was not at all how he wanted to spend his time. He had hoped for a short nap after taking care of Trafalgar and making sure he couldn't escape.

Trafalgar nudged the knife against the skin again and smirked ever so slightly at the angry glare the other man fixed him with, "Put your wrists out." Seeing the glare intensify, the dark haired man poked the knife warningly, "Now." Kidd sure was taking his damn time. Trafalgar knew he would have already been done regaining lost energy if he had been in Kidd's place. He supposed that Kidd was still gathering energy, but that meant that he needed to make sure that Eustass didn't do anything to him. Like be restrained. It would be a problem if his blond roommate returned before Kidd had been able to repossess Eustass. As much as Trafalgar wanted to, he supposed he and Kidd would have to leave the apartment immediately and find somewhere else to go for the time being.

And preferably before Killer returned.

Trafalgar was about to drop the knife so he could use both hands to capture Eustass' wrists with the belt, when Eustass' hands suddenly dropped. Trafalgar was about to jab the knife, when he realized that Eustass' eyes were closed and he seemed to be unaware of the dark haired doctor. Trafalgar slowly took a step back and lowered the knife as he watched. Eustass stumbled back a few steps, where his left hand shot out to steady himself with the back of a chair, his right hand going to his head as he let out a shaky breath, his whole body shaking. He seemed to be having trouble standing upright. Trafalgar smiled, satisfied. It was about time Kidd came out and dealt with Eustass. As much as it amused him to taunt Eustass, Trafalgar preferred to do that with his lover.

Trafalgar kept the knife in hand as he waited, and it seemed like there was more of a struggle this time, as Eustass would let out an occasional growl or curse, before falling silent. A few times he nearly fell over onto the ground, but remained standing by hanging onto the back of the chair with his left hand to keep himself upright. Trafalgar relaxed ever so slightly when it seemed like there wasn't as much as an outward struggle, and became an internal one. The whole action had barely lasted a minute, and soon the red head straightened himself up and let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar questioned, lowering the knife some more. The dark haired man grunted as Kidd came forward and seized his wrist, the hand that he was using to hold the blade. "Eustass-ya…" Trafalgar bit off his statement that they should go when Kidd's tongue darted out to lick his wrist, before he nipped lightly, forcing the dark haired man to let go of the blade in surprise. Trafalgar's eyes closed as Kidd's other hand slid up his side, and decided that they had a brief amount of time to do something.

Trafalgar freed his hand and moved forward to wrap his arms around Kidd's neck. The dark haired man murmured something, but it came out a garbled noise as the red head had just maneuvered him backward and dropped them both onto the couch with him beneath. Trafalgar let go and shoved his hands against Kidd's chest, "What the hell are you doing, Eustass-ya? You're going to crush me." Peeved at the other's carelessness, Trafalgar nonetheless allowed his lover to turn him over so that Kidd could press down against him, resting his head to nuzzle along the nape of Trafalgar's neck.

"You're being rather quiet. Are you still fighting with the other you in your head?" Trafalgar felt a faint nod, before he felt Kidd nuzzle his way to his shoulder, where he began to mouth the side of his neck. Trafalgar trembled faintly, before he gave in and arced his back against Kidd's chest, "If you're going to do something, do it. We need to leave sooner rather than later." He heard Kidd make some noise of assent, before the dark haired man was again surprised as Kidd looped one arm around his waist and dragged him forward so that his upper chest was against the armrest, and his knees were resting on the couch cushion.

Trafalgar was about to demand what Kidd thought he was doing, when the red head pressed up against him from behind, and pinned him there. Trafalgar sighed and reached back with his arms when Kidd waited a few moments too long for his liking, "Seriously, Eustass-ya, if you're having that much trouble with your doppelganger, then wait before you..." Trafalgar gasped as his arms were harshly pulled further back, silencing him. Through the pain that went with the movement, Trafalgar realized that the belt he had dropped when Kidd had seized him was being used to restrain his forearms, where it was then knotted around his wrists. Trafalgar's eyes flew open in shock. No. It couldn't be. Wasn't Kidd…?

"Damn, I didn't think you would actually fall for that."

Trafalgar felt fury rise within him. He wasn't prone to angry outbursts often, but this...this deserved some anger, "You bastard! You tricked me!" Trafalgar shivered ever so lightly as Eustass, and not Kidd, pressed up against him from behind, bringing Trafalgar's bound arms up against his chest so that Eustass could rest his chin on the other man's shoulder.

"Yeah, I did, and you fell for it. Am I really not that much different from your boyfriend if I don't say anything?" Eustass wasn't sure what to make of that, and promptly decided to not think about what he'd just done. It had been a rather low-blow trick to pull on the other man.

"Untie me you...!" Trafalgar stopped talking abruptly when he felt Eustass' breath against the side of his throat, and was acutely aware of just how closely Eustass' was still pressed up against him. While he was still frustrated with himself for falling right into a terrible excuse of a trap, the dark haired man couldn't help but become faintly amused, his anger dissipating slightly when he realized that Eustass wasn't quite indifferent to what he had been doing to him. Trafalgar moved his body backward up against Eustass, smiling faintly at the red head tightening his grasp on his belt bound arms, "Oh? What's this?"

Eustass leaned back slightly, "Shut up, you fucking ghost. I think I'm just going to leave you in the bathroom. Killer can help me keep an eye on you when he gets back." Eustass fell silent when he realized that Trafalgar scooted back slightly to press back up against him again. The red head was rather embarrassed to find that he had become half aroused in that brief amount of play acting. Shit. And Trafalgar seemed to know it, if the fact that his smugness had returned with a vengeance.

"You sure you don't want to do anything while you have me like this? I doubt you'll be doing anything else once the Eustass-ya I know possesses you again." Trafalgar commented, coyly lifting a leg to bump against Eustass', his back pressing up against Eustass' chest as heavily as he could. Trafalgar could feel where Eustass was pressed up against him, and wondered if the other man was tempted. It would certainly lower his defenses when Kidd finally did come out of the other room. Seriously, his lover was taking a long time. Trafalgar was very surprised when Eustass merely let go of him altogether and pushed away from him. Trafalgar half twisted to see Eustass give him a look of contempt.

"I may not have many morals, but I ain't gonna have sex with someone when the person whose body it is isn't in charge." Eustass looked away, "If it was actually your body, I might have, just to shut you up."

Trafalgar watched, still surprised, as Eustass retreated into the bathroom, and watched as the door shut. Trafalgar blinked. Eustass certainly had more self-restraint than Kidd did. Trafalgar felt a cool breeze caress him, and he turned his attention to the barely visible apparition of his lover, "About time. Hurry up and possess him." Trafalgar's lips quirked, "I think he's taking care of himself in the bathroom." Feeling the question but not actually really hearing it, Trafalgar responded, "He got pretty turned on pretending to be you to trick me into letting my guard down." Trafalgar got the feeling Kidd was looking him over, and the way the belt held his arms behind his back.

Trafalgar heard the laughter, and narrowed his eyes, "Just go possess him already. We need to get out of here before his roommate comes back." Kidd's cold presence retreated, and Trafalgar smiled, pleased, when Eustass started to curse. He rested his head against the couch, staring at the bathroom door, and waited perhaps a minute, before the bathroom door opened. Trafalgar pushed himself up into a seated position as he watched the red head come out of the bathroom and approach him. Trafalgar kept quiet until the other man reached the couch, and eyed him silently. As soon as their eyes met, Trafalgar relaxed, resting his head back against the couch cushion, "Do you have a better hold on the body this time around?"

Kidd stared at Trafalgar for a moment, but wasn't actually looking at him. He was thinking about the question. He flexed a hand, before he frowned, "Good enough to leave this place. I might have not be able to hold on as long as before, since he's found out that he can fight back." Kidd gave Trafalgar an annoyed look, "How come you're not having any trouble?"

Trafalgar was silent for a moment, but believed that he had the answer, "You already put a lot of mental strain on the other me for a few months. His mental resistance was vastly weakened by the time I possessed him. There isn't much fight left in him. Just a brief, pathetic attempt every once and awhile." Trafalgar turned slightly to display his arms, "Can you undo this already? We need to get out of here."

Kidd ignored the comments, and instead crawled onto the couch, and settled over Trafalgar, "And if I don't?"

Trafalgar locked eyes with Kidd, "I won't let slide why you're still carrying that ring around in your pocket."

Kidd sighed, but backed off and turned Trafalgar over to undo the belt. When he had, he wasn't at all surprised when Trafalgar twisted around and settled over him instead, resting comfortably on his lap as he drew the ring out of his pocket. Kidd averted his eyes, "I thought you weren't gonna ask questions."

"I only implied that I would let it lie. You just assumed I meant it literally." Trafalgar stated, before he put the ring back into Kidd's pocket, "I really only meant the ring for you to sell. You said you kept it because you thought it meant something else?"

Kidd briefly met Trafalgar's calm gaze, before looking away.

"Did you think I was proposing or something?" Trafalgar smirked at the faint blush, and inched forward to kiss Kidd, "You really are cute sometimes. What kind of pirate would want to get married to an organ dealing, murderer of a surgeon?"

Kidd leaned up to meet Trafalgar in a brief kiss, before he drew away and ran a hand absently through the dark haired man's hair, "Shut up."

"I really  _do_  love how embarrassed you get."

Kidd opened his mouth to tell Trafalgar off, when there was a highly irate voice that interrupted him.

"Damn, get a room, Kidd."

Trafalgar gave Kidd an annoyed look, "You didn't knock the other roommate out?"

Kidd shrugged, "He was too busy staring at pictures to notice that I was draining energy from him."

Bartolomeo was utterly confused when both Trafalgar and Kidd trapped him in his room, but he did try to fight back when he realized what they were up to.

-x-

Trafalgar closed the apartment door after Kidd exited it, "He shouldn't be able to free himself right away."

Kidd doubted that Bartolomeo would be able to free himself without assistance,"Where are we going to go?"

"Out of this place, for now." Trafalgar responded, and followed after Kidd as the red head headed down the hallway at his words. The dark haired man didn't realize that everything was going to start to come crashing down around him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Trafalgar suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around his upper chest, and he was roughly tugged backward, which threw off his balance. The response was automatic as Trafalgar called out in warning, "Eustass-ya!" The dark haired man froze as two gunshots rang out one after another in quick succession, accompanied by a sharp cry of pain.

Trafalgar righted himself enough to catch sight of Kidd as he collapsed to the ground. The red head's right hand pressed up against his abdomen, while Kidd's left arm was limp from another shot, leaving him gasping and harshly sucking in air at the shock of being shot. Trafalgar stiffened as he heard a familiar chuckle above his head, as the arm around his chest tightened. It sounded like Doflamingo...but it couldn't be the same one from so long ago...

It couldn't be...

Doflamingo's voice was amused, "Too bad the two of you hadn't found each other sooner. I hope you enjoyed your little reunion while it lasted, as short as it was."

Trafalgar immediately set about trying to free himself from the blond's grasp. He would deny what was happening for as long as he could, "What the hell are you talking about?" The dark haired man went perfectly still and silent as the hot muzzle of the gun rested up against his throat, beneath his jaw.

Doflamingo's voice had turned mocking, "I'm sorry, let me rephrase things. Did you and your lover enjoy possessing your doppelgangers and finally being able to leave that house after all those long years trapped there?"

Trafalgar's mouth went dry as he swallowed roughly, his voice heavy with denial as he tried to keep his body from trembling, "No, you can't be the same Joker-ya as before! We killed you in the hospital. When Eustass-ya came to stop you, even though he'd been recovering from his injuries." Trafalgar struggled against the arm the other man held around him tightly, "Even if you had survived that, you couldn't possibly be here now."

Doflamingo was amused by Trafalgar's disjointed reasoning, as well as the uselessness of his struggle. Doflamingo had him, and he wasn't going to let him slip away so easily, "But here I am, Law." And he was going to make sure that Trafalgar knew that it really was him. Doflamingo's voice grew hard, flicking his gaze in Kidd's direction, "The two of you should have finished the job to make sure that I wouldn't be able to come back."

For once, Trafalgar had no immediate comeback. His world was spiraling out of control, and all he could think of was that he knew for certain that Kidd was in immediate danger. The dark haired man knew that Doflamingo would never have forgiven an outsider so easily, especially one that had attacked him, and that was confirmed when the gun moved away from his jaw slightly. Trafalgar held his breath.

"I would tell you why I'm 'still around', but it's a bit of a long story, and I don't feel like telling you right now. Maybe later."

"Why did you pretend to not know Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar felt that he had to keep Doflamingo talking, while he tried to figure out a way out of this.

Doflamingo brushed off the question, knowing what the other man was doing, as he mused aloud, "I had almost decided to try and keep the other Law away from that house when I was there and sensed your spirits...but I decided later that I'd rather have the Law around that I knew better." Doflamingo grinned as he felt Trafalgar shift ever so slightly within his grasp, "I almost didn't want to see you again, after what you did. I'm rather hurt that you'd chose to stay with  _that_..." Doflamingo waved the gun in Kidd's direction, "...rather than stay with me and not have to worry about anything. Not even vengeance from people you took organs from, or the friends of people I had you kill." Doflamingo's voice took on an almost carefree tone, "I'm wondering, Law, was it worth it, running away like that, when you know that I would come after you no matter what choice you made? To turn against me that day?"

The gun moved completely away, and Trafalgar grit his teeth when he noticed that Doflamingo had it aimed down at Kidd. Trafalgar knew Doflamingo would shoot, but not right away. He had a point to make, otherwise he'd have already let off another round. Trafalgar winced as Doflamingo's arm dipped down to just above his waist and tightened to the point of being painful.

"Well, Law?" Doflamingo let his finger rest against the trigger od the gun, "I'm waiting."

Trafalgar bumped Doflamingo's arm, throwing off the shot the other man let off, and it was all the answer that Doflamingo needed, and the dark haired man knew that he didn't even have to say much more to let the other man know it, "Leave Eustass-ya alone."

Doflamingo's smiled, "That sounds reminiscent of _that_  day. When I agreed to leave your lover alone, and even allowed you the time to treat his wounds." Doflamingo shook his head, his smile widening, "You did hold up your end of the bargain for the most part, coming to the hospital to see me willingly afterward..." Doflamingo grinned nastily down at Kidd, "It's too bad that he interfered." Doflamingo ignored Kidd in favor of staring down at Trafalgar's head, "I won't be making the same mistake twice. While I'd rather just kill him and be done with it, I suppose I could settle for leaving him here, as long as you don't make things difficult. Or, I could kill him now, and take you with me by force."

Kidd took a few breaths before issuing a weak laugh, "Don't listen...to that...pink wearing son of a bitch..." Kidd broke off coughing, not noticing that Doflamingo was aiming the gun at him again.

"Law?" Doflamingo questioned pleasantly, "Do I put him out of his misery, or will you come with me, and see if he can keep himself from bleeding out?"

Trafalgar shivered as Doflamingo's breath tickled the side of his throat, and knew that there was no option but one. The dark haired man let out a slow breath, before he loosened his grasp on Doflamingo's arm, "Leave him alone. You've done enough." And Trafalgar didn't just mean physical harm. He and Kidd had barely been with one another, and here they were, being torn apart again as they had been in the past. Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's arm leave him, before the gun was pressed between his shoulder blades.

"Then start walking, before I change my mind."

Trafalgar's eyes sought out Kidd's, and met the pained amber gaze briefly. The dark haired man tried to work in an apology. That this wasn't what he wanted, but he felt that he needed to give Kidd a change to survive. So that he wouldn't have to be a ghost wandering around aimlessly again. It hurt Trafalgar to see the look of bitter understanding in his lover's eyes, and had to look away as he began to walk down the hall, Doflamingo close behind and keeping the gun trained on him.

Kidd rested his head on the ground, and concentrated on keeping pressure on the wound to his abdomen. Again. He had failed Trafalgar again. Once in the past, and now. He hadn't been able to keep him away from Doflamingo. He felt like a fool for not realizing it sooner that the blond man was the same person. He'd had a chance to warn Trafalgar, and Kidd had ended up merely writing off Doflamingo's reaction to him possessing him at the time.

Kidd peered out of the corner of his eyes to see the blood seeping out from beneath his fingers, and pressed down harder. He needed to go after them. Kidd needed to go after Trafalgar. Get him away.

Kidd closed his eyes, aware of Eustass' voice in his mind, as if trying to tell him something. Kidd let go of the control he had of the body, letting Eustass take over, and found that instead of leaving the other's body, he remained in the other's mind. Kidd didn't care to think why that had happened instead of what had been happening before. He was currently overwhelmed with guilt, yet another emotion he didn't particularly like dealing with. The guilt of something that Kidd had told Trafalgar in the past. After they had fled the hospital after attacking Doflamingo.

Kidd had told Trafalgar that he wouldn't let Doflamingo or anyone else try and take him away. He lied. He had lied. Kidd couldn't do anything. It was exactly like in the past, and both times Doflamingo had gotten what he wanted, leaving the red head beaten down.

Kidd curled up in a dark corner of Eustass' mind, shutting himself off from the outside world to drown in his own misery. It didn't last for long, as a burning rage soon welled up inside him. Kidd clenched a fist. He wouldn't let things end up like they had in the past. Kidd, angry at himself for the moment of weakness, reached out to seize control of Eustass' body again, intent on going after Trafalgar and Doflamingo, even if it meant bleeding out in the process.

Nothing.

Kidd tried harder to seize control over the body he was inhabiting, but found that no matter what he tried, he couldn't do it as easily as he had before. In fact, he couldn't seize control at all right now.

Shit.

What had he done wrong? Did it have to do with why he hadn't just left Eustass' body to lurk around as a ghost? Kidd paced back and forth in the darkness, infuriated with himself, as well as Doflamingo, for landing him in this predicament by not just staying dead and gone.

Kidd let out a growl of frustration as the darkness seemed to stretch, and he could barely sense what was happening to Eustass.

What the hell was going on?


	30. An Offer

Trafalgar had almost expected Doflamingo to take a shot at Kidd when they headed away down the hall, but it appeared that the taller man would keep his word. He hadn't made any indication of turning back, as the gun was still trained between his shoulder blades. Though Trafalgar supposed Doflamingo's word would only last as long as he went along with the blond quietly, and didn't resist. Until then, or at least until the two of them had left the location of the apartment, Kidd would be safe, or as safe as one could be with a wound to the abdomen, and away from any medical attention. Trafalgar almost wanted to go back, but reined the desire in. Mainly because the gun had just nudged him lightly at his slight hesitation.

"We aren't out of the apartment yet, nor are we back at my place. You don't want me to go back and finish what I started, do you?" Doflamingo's words were light, but carried a dangerous undertone.

Trafalgar faltered, but continued to walk. The dark haired man really wouldn't put it past Doflamingo to turn back now and follow through on his threat. Trafalgar was acutely aware of the blond man behind him, and while he wanted to keep his attention on Doflamingo, Trafalgar found himself distracted by Law.

_'Get out of my body!'_

As timing went, his doppelganger couldn't have picked a worse time. Trafalgar grit his teeth, fighting to hold the other Law back in his mind. Trafalgar squeezed one hand into a fist as Law's mental protests became even louder at the attempt to ignore him.

_'I know you can hear me! So get out! Now!'_

He couldn't lose control now. Doflamingo would likely use the loss of control as an excuse to go back and shoot Kidd in the head before Trafalgar could stop him. Trafalgar grit his teeth as his walk slowed at the mental tirade he was being subjected to. Damn. Why now? Why did the owner of the body he was possessing have to fight back now? Surely he would have noticed that it was in their best interest to...Trafalgar blinked. No, he supposed it would be more in Law's favor than his own to take back control of the body, since Doflamingo and Law apparently had no problem with each other. Unlike Trafalgar, who would rather try to take the bastard's life than be in the same room with him and more or less civil with him. Trafalgar stopped altogether, swaying in place, the thought funny somehow. Doflamingo and himself being civil was funny to him, for some reason, considering what had happened between them in the past.

Law was fighting back even harder, trying his damndest to get back in control of his own body, and Trafalgar could tell that he was not at all pleased with him for preventing that from happening. For now, at least.

And Trafalgar wasn't pleased with what Law had started to mentally shout in his head.

_'Doflamingo-ya!'_

Son of a bitch. What kind of relationship was Doflamingo trying to have with his body double? Sick, twisted bastard. Trafalgar swayed again, finding his control slipping some more, and getting angry in the process that it was harder than he thought to retain the control.

-x-

Doflamingo narrowed his eyes from behind his glasses, and nudged the dark haired man before him with the gun again, "We're not outside yet." The blond reminded Trafalgar calmly. Doflamingo lowered the gun abruptly and reached out with his left hand to catch Trafalgar before he keeled over. Doflamingo frowned down at him, and almost immediately realized what was going on. He broke into a grin. It seemed like Law had gotten over whatever wariness or fear of Trafalgar he had had, and was, from the looks of it, letting the spirit have a piece of his mind. Doflamingo supposed he was glad that he had taken a detour on his way over, just in case. He wanted time alone with Trafalgar, and while he hated to do it to Law, he was going to have to temporarily make sure he didn't learn more than he needed to.

Doflamingo stooped, and picked Trafalgar up, his upper arm going around the doctor's back, and his forearm beneath his legs, where he could maneuver Trafalgar up to lean against his chest. Doflamingo rose, and, keeping his gun firmly in his right hand, made his way out of the apartment. The blond ducked into an ally, where he had parked his car, and sat down on a nearby crate, half resting Trafalgar on his lap, "Are you two arguing?"

Trafalgar was aware of his surroundings, but completely ignored Doflamingo's words, as he was trying hard to retain control as he argued with Law in his mind. He did, however, try and push away from Doflamingo. Before Trafalgar could start to protest the blond man's arm around him, however, he ended up squeezing his eyes shut and going limp against Doflamingo. It was too much to keep full focus on the body, so he chose to focus on Law and beating him back down. If he was able to.

Doflamingo merely readjusted his grip. He would have to wait and see which Law got in control of the body. It would be far more convenient to him if it was Law who regained control, but with the circumstances as they were, Doflamingo thought it more likely that Trafalgar would win the struggle for control. At least this time around. He had more motivation, after all, to keep Kidd alive and breathing back in the apartment.

Doflamingo frowned, the hand holding the gun twitching. He couldn't quite explain it, but it bothered him greatly how easily Trafalgar had given in when he'd threatened Kidd. It wasn't like the other man to display such defeat in his presence when he was usually so smug and ready with a quip to throw him off. Back in the apartment, Trafalgar had almost sounded...

The blond haired man shook his head and glanced down at Trafalgar. The other man was currently making muttered conversation beneath his breath, and sounded exasperated while doing it. Doflamingo's smile grew. He hoped that Law was giving Trafalgar the details of how the two of them had met in this lifetime. It would bother the hell out of Trafalgar, who had spent most of his living days avoiding the blond.

Doflamingo looked around briefly. He didn't see anyone, as it was still fairly early in the morning, and on a weekend, at that. He was fairly certain that the power struggle between Trafalgar and Law wouldn't last for long, and they would be gone before anyone started to poke around. Not that they would, as dubious an area as it was.

Doflamingo didn't have to wait for very long. In a matter of a minute and a half, the dark haired man's body relaxed, and the muttering stopped. He shifted, getting a handful of Doflamingo's pink coat as he did so. Doflamingo tilted his head, cautious and watchful, "So, which Law are you?"

Whichever Law he was holding didn't say anything, but pushed away slightly from him so that he could look up at him. Doflamingo calmly watched, ready for either one of the two to speak to him.

"Doflamingo-ya? What...?"

Doflamingo relaxed marginally. He was a little taken aback that it was Law, but supposed that...Doflamingo barely caught sight of the flash in the other man's eyes, and almost moved his head to the side too slowly.

A gunshot rang out, and Doflamingo's entire body went rigid, a small gash across his cheek all the sign of the bullet that had whizzed by him. His hands had moved of their own accord out of pure reflex. One around Trafalgar's wrist that had yanked the gun to the side to throw off the shot. His other hand wrapped around the dark haired man's throat, slowly cutting off his air supply and forcing him to choke. Doflamingo's smile threatened to stretch too far. Oh, Trafalgar was a shitty little brat, doing something like that. Devious, and something the blond should have fully expected.

Doflamingo took back his gun with a tug, before stowing it away. Keeping his grip around Trafalgar's throat, Doflamingo slid off the crate, before he pinned the dark haired man up against the ally wall. While in a terrible mood, Doflamingo wasn't quite far gone enough to actually harm the other man. The blond dipped his free hand into a pocket, and withdrew a tiny capsule, trying to not let Trafalgar see it. Doflamingo closed in and breathed against the other's face as he rested his free hand against Trafalgar's neck, his other hand loosening the grasp he had around the dark haired man's throat, "I guess you're the spirit from my past, so I suppose I'll apologize in advance to the Law whose body this is." Doflamingo jabbed the needle of the capsule into the side of Trafalgar's neck, and finished, addressing Law, "It seems like I'll need to talk to this one longer than I thought. I'll try not to damage your body too much."

Trafalgar felt the pinprick of pain against the side of his throat, and was very confused at Doflamingo's words, until he realized that Law's mental protests soon quieted, until they were altogether gone. Before Trafalgar could think too much about it, Doflamingo got his attention. Painfully. The only warning Trafalgar got was Doflamingo letting go of his throat the rest of the way, and Doflamingo pulling him forward with the same hand. A solid fist slammed into his gut, and Trafalgar's breath was driven from him, and he choked as Doflamingo stepped away and let him collapse to the ground. Trafalgar let out a rasping gasp as he tried to gather in air. The hit Doflamingo had laid him out on the ground with was more than likely going to bruise, from the feel of it. He didn't feel like anything had broken, and supposed that he was grateful for that. Trafalgar started to cough, and heard Doflamingo approaching him. But the dark haired man was still too out of breath to do anything to stop Doflamingo from pinning his hands over his head, and securing them there with something that felt plastic.

Trafalgar tilted his head, and noted that his wrists were secured with a thin material. He tested it, and winced when the hard plastic dug into his skin. He had enough left in him to glare at Doflamingo, whose grin was still stretched in either amusement or exasperation. Trafalgar knew he was asking for more pain if he showed any more defiance, and was furious with himself for missing with the gun. It would have solved at least half his problems. Trafalgar flinched when Doflamingo picked him up and walked over to the car that was parked nearby, but said nothing. He grunted when Doflamingo all but tossed him carelessly in the backseat of the car. Trafalgar hissed in pain as his hands were jostled as he landed face down on the seats.

Trafalgar rolled over to look at Doflamingo, before he tried to kick the blond out of reflex, but Doflamingo easily stopped the kick, and used the modified seatbelts to strap Trafalgar's forearms, waist and legs to the seat of the car, to prevent him from fleeing. Trafalgar didn't bother to try and run, and spoke once Doflamingo had drawn back, "Some new kink of yours, Joker-ya?" If Trafalgar didn't know better, he would have sworn that Doflamingo had narrowed his eyes at him at that. Trafalgar tested the strength of the seat belts holding him down, and then the zip tie around his wrist, before adding, almost flippantly, "I thought we were going to leave?"

Doflamingo laughed, "I was thinking about it, but…" Doflamingo flicked his tongue out to taste the blood across his cheek, "I think I'll take that bullet you tried to put in my head as defiance. Do you know what that means, Law?"

Trafalgar' eyes widened. Shit. He'd been so confident that he'd be able to get rid of Doflamingo then and there that he hadn't thought about what would happen if he missed, "You said you'd leave Eustass-ya alone."

Doflamingo's grin widened nastily, "I changed my mind." Doflamingo drew back to close the car door, his tone light, "Besides, I made no such promise in the first place. I only implied it." Doflamingo shut the door, cutting off an angry snarled response from Trafalgar.

-x-

It was torture to wait for something like this.

Trafalgar was unable to free himself from the way Doflamingo had strapped him down in the car with the seatbelts. Trafalgar stretched his senses, listening carefully. Inwardly he hoped that Kidd would be able to hide himself, or even move far enough away from where he'd fallen. To keep Doflamingo away from him. Trafalgar knew that he was only fooling himself though. There was no way Kidd was in any condition to move so easily with the wounds he'd been dealt.

Trafalgar closed his eyes when he heard a single gunshot. It left him with the small glimmer of hope that Kidd's spirit would follow wherever Doflamingo chose to take him. Not too much more time passed before Doflamingo returned to the car, and slid into the backseat as he closed the door behind him. Trafalgar shivered very faintly as Doflamingo settled over him, if only to keep him pinned on his back with nowhere to go.

Doflamingo smiled at the hate laden glare Trafalgar had fixed him with, "Now what's with that look? Are you actually upset that I went back to finish off your  _former_  lover? I find that very hard to believe. You only ever fucked, didn't you? What was so special about him?"

Trafalgar was silent for a moment. "I hope Eustass-ya possesses your body again. Then we can kill you properly this time. I can always find another body for him," Trafalgar said in an icy calm voice.

Doflamingo leaned down to rest his head against Trafalgar's right shoulder, and nibbled the dark haired man's nearest earlobe, teeth clicking against the piercings there. Doflamingo stopped momentarily to speak in as calm a voice as the other man had, "Your little red head won't possess anyone ever again."

Trafalgar turned his head away from Doflamingo's lips, "What do you mean? You only killed the body that he was possessing."

Doflamingo pulled back with a grin, and held up the tiny capsule he'd used on Trafalgar, "See this, Law? It's a new drug I had someone make for me in the past ten years. I believe it worked on you, so I used one on your lover before I shot him."

Trafalgar wore a guarded expression, "It doesn't seem to have done anything."

Doflamingo chuckled, "Fufufufu. Didn't you notice that the other Law isn't bothering you right now?"

Trafalgar started, before he reached for the other Law in his mind, but found nothing. Trafalgar's eyes went to Doflamingo's glasses, "What did you do?"

Doflamingo twirled the capsule between thumb and forefinger, "It's something that is supposed to suppress a spirit. There is a market for it for fanatics, and I've been wanting to test it. I wasn't entirely sure it would work, but it does appear to have a good side effect." Doflamingo's smile stretched, "It prevents you from drawing the other Law's energy." Doflamingo looked away momentarily, displeased, "It would have been better for me to have learned of it sooner, in case I knew I couldn't find you again. This body wasn't originally mine." Doflamingo glanced back at Trafalgar, who was eying him warily, and continued, "I ended up using up so much energy when I possessed my body double that I consumed his life force, his soul, in order to stay in control of the body. So he no longer exists now." Doflamingo angled a finger at himself, "So there's only me in this body, and it is mine. The only thing is that I can no longer leave the body as a spirit. And when I die, I go with the body, as I should have when I died over a hundred years ago." Doflamingo drew back further, "If I chose to kill you now, you would be stuck in that body, as the other Law is indisposed at the moment, and unable to retain any control over the body." Doflamingo let that sink in, and was pleased with the response.

Trafalgar let out a faint gasp, a look of horror spreading over his normally smirking and confident features.

"Eustass-ya…" Trafalgar breathed, momentarily forgetting about Doflamingo crouched and looming over him. Then, all at once, Trafalgar strained against the restraints that held him, snapping as he snarled at Doflamingo, "You son of a bitch! You…mpf!" Trafalgar's response was cut off as Doflamingo drowned him in a kiss, and he felt, and heard, Doflamingo chuckle at him in amusement. Trafalgar growled something and bit down, causing the blond to jerk away from the kiss. Gasping for breath again, Trafalgar turned his head to look anywhere but at Doflamingo, "You're lying."

Doflamingo blinked, head tilting, "Why would I do that?"

Trafalgar resisted trying to kick the other man again, "Because you're sick."

Doflamingo snorted at that, "No, you're the twisted one." Doflamingo drew something out of his pants pocket and held it up. It was a gold and silver ring, partially covered in some blood. It was rather satisfying to see so much color drain out of the other man's face at the sight of the simple item.

Trafalgar's eyes widened the faintest amount, his eyes riveted on the ring. He felt as if Doflamingo had wrapped sharp thorns around his heart and had squeezed it tightly and carelessly.

Wrong. It was wrong.

Trafalgar bit his lip harshly as he felt his eyes grow hot. For the first time in a long time, he almost felt like crying. And he never did, except on one rare occasion years and years ago. For some reason, the thought of losing Kidd for good was unbearable. And that thought brought up more that the dark haired man really wasn't quite ready to think about. Trafalgar tensed as Doflamingo ran a large hand through his hair, and tilted his head so that he was forced to look at the blond.

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo stick the ring in one of his pockets, and held back the tears that threatened to betray him. He wasn't going to give Doflamingo the satisfaction. But the more he thought of never seeing Kidd again, the more Trafalgar realized that it hurt him much, much more than he would have expected it to. And that was something he hadn't expected either, until he really thought about it. In that moment, the dark haired man felt all of his resistance and defiance against the other man shatter and fall to pieces, and, unable to meet Doflamingo's gaze, spoke, struggling to keep all emotion out of his words, "Just kill me. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Doflamingo hummed in thought, "...Eventually, but not when I've just gotten you back." Doflamingo ran his hand slowly through Trafalgar's hair again, "Besides, I do want to see the other Law. I just wanted to pay you back for what you did in the past."

The sting of the words made Trafalgar further discouraged. So, Doflamingo only wanted to torment him before being rid of him, and returning to the Law that was more inclined to be around him. Trafalgar felt further resigned. It just figured that he wouldn't be getting off so easily. Death, funnily enough, was preferable right now. It'd get him away from Doflamingo at any rate, and he'd perhaps get the chance to see Kidd again. But the dark haired man absolutely loathed the fact that he was going to have to be the older man's plaything in the meantime.

Doflamingo noticed all of the fight leave Trafalgar, and frowned. He hadn't realized that telling the doctor that he'd never be able to see Kidd again would have caused this kind of response. Doflamingo had never imagined that Trafalgar would have actually  _cared_  for the red haired man that much. Doflamingo's grin returned full force. Well, that worked for him. He would just keep the fact that he hadn't actually killed Kidd to himself. It did annoy the blond that Kidd had managed to drag himself away and out of sight in such a short time, but Trafalgar's reaction had given Doflamingo a wonderful idea of how to deal with some of his other problems.

Doflamingo kept a firm grip on Trafalgar's head, and pulled him into a kiss, and this time there was no retaliation. As if Trafalgar were merely resigned to his advances now. Doflamingo drew back, able to make eye contact somewhat with the other man, "How about we make a little deal? I think you'll be interested."

The hot glare of unshed tears met Doflamingo's eyes, and the older man almost started tearing the other man's clothes off at the very sight. He'd never driven Trafalgar to such limits before. It was a rare and rather satisfying sight. Doflamingo held back the urge, his usual grin in place as he continued, "If you'll be my surgeon of death again for a short time, and do as I say, I'll give you something good in return..."

Doflamingo saw faint interest flicker briefly in the dark haired man's eyes, and his grin stretched further, "...another chance to kill me."


	31. One Week

As soon as Killer had finished speaking to Eustass, he had caught a taxi. For some reason, Killer felt that he needed to get back to the apartment sooner rather than later. He didn't even think about the coincidence that he had the money to pay the cabby instead of running for it. The long haired blond was more preoccupied with how Eustass seemed to really want people to get over to the apartment. People that he didn't seem to like very much, from what little Eustass had chosen to mention about the job he'd been forced into. Killer stared out the window of the taxi as it approached the outskirts of the city.

While Eustass hadn't precisely said it outright, Killer presumed that, for some reason, the man that the red head had brought with him to the apartment was a problem. What kind of problem, Killer wasn't sure, but he supposed it would be best if he returned home as quickly as possible. To avoid any potential bloodshed. Eustass sure had looked like he had wanted to strangle the dark haired man when Killer had entered the apartment, even with the cause of his annoyance defenseless on the ground. Killer had never seen the dark haired man before in his life.

Killer paid the cabby off and made the couple minutes journey back to the apartment in silence. Behind him, the car drove off, back to better areas of the city. Killer didn't blame the driver. No one really wanted to linger long in bad parts of the city. Fights could spontaneously occur, and if one wasn't careful, they could end up injured or worse. Killer went back to thinking about what Eustass bringing some unknown person to their apartment. Killer really just couldn't fathom what went on inside his friend's head...Killer faltered mid step at the sound of a gunshot, followed immediately by another. Killer's head snapped up, his long bangs parting briefly to allow his eyes a clearer view of the apartment that was looming into view with every step he had been taking. He had heard the two gunshots ring out, and while muffled, there was no doubt that it was coming from the apartment.

Killer swore softly and broke into a run. It had to be from the apartment that he, Kidd and Bartolomeo lived in, along with a few other tenants of dubious reputation. Killer hoped that the shots had nothing to do with Eustass, even if he did think that the red head had been acting a bit more oddly as of late. Killer also hoped he hadn't shot the dark haired man. It would be a mess to clean up, and quite hard to explain to any cop brave enough to check on the disturbance. The long haired man didn't think that being annoyed by someone was any reason to actually shoot them.

Killer entered the broken down apartment from the side, shouldering his way in through the half open door. There was a shortcut from the second floor that went straight through to the third floor. Killer wound his way through a stairwell, before he exited onto the second floor, not realizing that he had almost come face to face with Doflamingo going down the stairs. Killer went into an abandoned laundry room to his immediate right, and hoisted himself through the floor and onto the third floor. He found this way much faster than weaving around long halls with floors in various states of disrepair. Killer shoved the door open, and came just short of stepping on Eustass. Killer swore under his breath as he stooped to look his friend over. Hopes of the gunshots being elsewhere in the apartment fled his mind as he saw the blood, "Kidd?"

Eustass opened his eyes briefly, faintly surprised that Killer was back so soon. It didn't seem like that much time had gone by since the phone call. But the pain of the gunshot wounds prevented Eustass from thinking much of it. Unable to turn his head to look at the other man, Eustass merely closed his eyes and let out a low sigh, before he made what sounded like an attempt at a greeting that came out in a wheeze of breath instead. Eustass was relieved that it wasn't Doflamingo back to finish the job, and was instead someone who at least thought of his wellbeing from time to time. Eustass couldn't begin to think of how many times Killer had bailed him out of situations by being the voice of reason. Eustass opened his eyes when he heard Killer move, and panicked briefly when he saw Killer walk past him, until he heard the other man speak.

"I'll be right back. Keep pressure on that wound." Killer didn't know just how bad Eustass' injuries were, but knew that he needed to get something to stop the flow of blood. When that was done, Killer would have to get Eustass somewhere to be treated, before he bled out. Luckily, he knew someone in the apartment that was a doctor. Getting them to treat Eustass might be tricky, but...

Eustass coughed a little and, with a raspy laugh, wheezed out, "Hurry...up..." He couldn't believe how shitty he felt. Eustass also couldn't believe that Doflamingo had opened fire on him. He had never met the man before, but from the sound of it, the ghosts possessing his and Law's body knew the man. What the hell was up with all of the people being possessed by ghosts or spirits or whatever? Eustass coughed again, shakily pressing his hand to his abdomen more tightly, and felt faint, "Killer...hurry...before he...comes back..."

Killer inwardly swore this time around, and moved faster, not knowing whom Eustass was referring to. It was rather ominous, though, that someone had had that much of an impact on Eustass to make him almost sound...afraid. Killer went into their apartment, and quickly gathered some clean towels from a kitchen drawer that had seen better days. It was the best he could come up with on such short notice. Killer shook his head, even if he wasn't exactly exasperated with his friend. Trust Eustass to find some way to be injured when he wasn't around to try and defuse the situation. "Bartolomeo?" He heard some muffled grunting coming from the teen's bedroom, but decided to investigate after he made sure that Eustass wasn't going to bleed out in the hall. Killer went back into the hall and knelt in front of Eustass, and realized that his friend was even more out of it than he had been moments before.

Eustass barely made any protest when Killer grabbed his left arm and secured the towel as tightly as he could around the injury. Killer set the limb back down on the ground carefully, before picking up another towel. The long haired blond moved Eustass' hand from the bullet wound to his abdomen as gently as he could, but even that drew a faint twitch of protest from the red head. "Hang on, Kidd. Here." Killer pressed the towel up against the bloodied shirt and skin, before he allowed Eustass' bloodied hand to press back up against the wound. Killer glanced around. No one had come to investigate the sound, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Killer's attention went back to Eustass, "Kidd. Can you hear me? I'm going to help you to the apartment, okay?" Killer received no response as he reached around and helped Eustass upright, careful of the wounds. The long haired man half carried Eustass into the apartment, and Eustass was apparently still there enough to try and help by walking under his own power. Or at least trying to.

Killer didn't look back to see what had made the light clunking sound on the ground behind them. He was more intent on making sure Eustass remained upright long enough to get him into the apartment. And then he would have to make a quick visit to the doctors in the apartment on the second floor, and see if they would help Eustass. Killer got Eustass into the apartment, and rested him on the ground just inside the doorway. Killer closed the door and locked it. After glancing down at Eustass curled up on the ground and looking rather pathetic, Killer changed his mind. He was going to see what Bartolomeo was doing in his room, and he would make the green haired teen help him support Eustass downstairs. If they showed up with a bleeding Eustass, Killer felt the doctors might be more likely to just let them in. Killer opened his mouth to call for Bartolomeo again, when a laugh rang out in the hallway.

Eustass froze, coming out of the pain induced haze of his mind at the sound of the man's voice out in the hallway.

"Fufufufu. I didn't think he would actually be able to crawl away in that state. Well, this works out better for me…"

Killer waited until the footsteps had receded before he swiveled his head to Eustass, tilting his head so he could fix his injured roommate with a disproving glare, "What did you do to get Doflamingo of all people to shoot you?"

Eustass managed to glare at Killer in return, some smart response ready, before his body gave up on him. Eustass made a faint sound, before his head lolled to the side. The adrenaline had worn off, and with the amount of pain he was in, Eustass couldn't remain conscious any longer.

-x-

Eustass thought that he was just going to wake up once the pain had faded. Or someone treated his wounds and he would wake up after that. What Eustass hadn't expected when he opened his eyes was to find himself standing in a dark place. Eustass glanced around, confused at the endless darkness around him, before he froze at the sight of someone nearby that looked exactly like him staring back at him. Or, at least, Eustass thought it looked like him, if a few years older than he was right now. Realization hit him, and Eustass tensed up defensively. The ghost, spirit, whatever, that had possessed him. It was standing right in front of him.

But how?

Kidd eyed Eustass for a moment, before he sat down on a chair that seemingly came from out of nowhere. This was an interesting development, and was much more welcome than just screaming in frustration. Perhaps this had something to do with the amount of times that he had possessed Eustass?

Eustass glanced around in the dark, even though it messed with his mind that he could see Kidd and the chair clearly, while everything else was a bottomless darkness. He felt like he was standing on something solid. Eustass didn't look down, and instead focused his full attention on Kidd, "Where are we?" He better not have died, because that would just piss him off to no end. Even though those bullet wounds had hurt like a bitch, Eustass hadn't thought that the wounds had been fatal.

Kidd laughed at that, "In your head, obviously." He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world, even if he'd only realized it sometime after being unable to repossess Eustass' body. Kidd had soon realized that it was lack of energy, but he didn't stop to think why he couldn't just leave the body to go get more.

Eustass was skeptical as he sent a cursory glance around the immediate area, but figured if he could be possessed by a spirit, than it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the two of them were somewhere inside his mind. Even if that was fucked up too. Eustass narrowed his eyes at the lounging red haired man across from him, "Then get out of it, and out of my body." Eustass was irritated when Kidd laughed at him again.

"Don't you think I would've done that already if I could? I can't, for some reason, and besides, I need to go help Trafalgar." Kidd was going to kill Doflamingo for this. He didn't want his lover to be in that bastard's hands any longer than was necessary.

Eustass glared at Kidd, "You already got my body shot. Twice. You aren't going to be doing anything else with my body."

Kidd matched the glare, "I'm not leaving. I'm not going to let Trafalgar be left with that crazy son of a bitch."

"Find some other body to possess then." Eustass growled, "Leave my body out of it. It's already more beaten up because of you and your crazy boyfriend." Eustass saw Kidd's lips quirk in amusement at that, "What's so funny?"

Kidd used his artificial left hand to scratch his scarred cheek, musing aloud, "We're lovers. I wouldn't exactly call Trafalgar my boyfriend. We basically just fucked when we wanted." Kidd frowned a little, "Though it did start to be more than just that later on…"

Eustass stared at the other red head, "I don't fucking care. You're not gonna use my body anymore." Eustass tensed and braced himself when he saw that Kidd stood up and started to head toward him. Eustass girt his teeth. He wasn't going to let Kidd possess his body to go try and help his lover…boyfriend…whatever, that was trapped in Law's body. Doflamingo had already made it clear that he was interested in killing him.

Or at least, in killing Kidd.

Kidd grinned. He wasn't going to let this damn doppelganger of himself get in his way of helping Trafalgar.

-x-

Killer had just parted ways with Bartolomeo in the living room, and was relieved to see that Eustass had woken up. He wasn't sure whether he would have right away. Killer shook his head slightly at the look of confusion on the wounded man's face. It was understandable. They weren't in their apartment room anymore, and Killer let Eustass know that, "I had Bartolomeo help me take you to the second floor of the apartment. There are a few doctors here that use some unorthodox practices. They agreed to treat you when they saw the state you were in." Killer rubbed his head, "The older woman was quite adamant that I was an idiot for moving you with the wounds you had, and that I should have gotten them to come upstairs instead."

Eustass struggled with himself for a moment. He could hear Kidd's voice echoing in his mind, before he managed to push it aside. For the moment, anyway. The red head glanced up at Killer, before speaking in a weak tone, "How bad is it?" He still felt shitty, though not as much as he had before.

Killer snorted softly at that, "Not bad enough if you're already conscious enough to ask." Seeing the tired glare, Killer briefly gave his friend a small smile, before it vanished as he answered the question in a more serious tone, "The shots were close enough that the bullets passed right through your body. You were lucky that the shot to your abdomen avoided your vital organs. Barely." Killer glanced at Eustass' bandaged left arm, "Your arm is going to take some time to heal. There was a tiny fracture in one of the bones. It wasn't as bad as it had looked when I found you. I thought it would be worse with all of the blood."

Killer fell silent when he noticed that Eustass had slipped off again. He was unaware that Eustass had been drawn back into a struggle for control over his body with Kidd, who was not pleased with the continued resistance.

-x-

Trafalgar was surprised that Doflamingo hadn't tried anything on the drive to the mansion. He'd almost expected it, before Doflamingo had moved from the backseat to the front, and drove the car away and out of the alley. The dark haired man was even more taken aback when Doflamingo had parked the car, and had unstrapped him from the backseat, as well as freed his hands.

Trafalgar stumbled a little from the nudge Doflamingo had given him, but took it as a sign to walk. Trafalgar silently eyed the mansion, inwardly marveling at just how big the mansion was. As he walked through the front door with Doflamingo right behind him, however, Trafalgar supposed that he wasn't all that surprised with the sight. Doflamingo did like to have lavish things around him.

A few people noticed their entrance, and waved, looking up from whatever they were doing in what resembled a hotel lobby.

"Ah, young master. Welcome back."

"Welcome home."

"Look, it's Law."

"Ooh. The surgeon?"

"Hello, Law!"

Trafalgar merely jerked his head in some acknowledgment to the people that addressed him, as Doflamingo continued to walk, waving the greeters off, "We have some business to discuss."

Trafalgar couldn't help but smirk at that. Business indeed, the lying bastard. Trafalgar had half a mind to turn tail and run, while Doflamingo was distracted, but figured that if he did that, he would end up in a fight that he wouldn't stand a chance of winning. The dark haired man needed a plan. Something to gain the upper hand over Doflamingo, if only for a short time. With an irritable grumble, Trafalgar followed after the older man, though he did jerk back in surprise at the sight of a door sliding open in front of the older blond.

There were a few giggles behind Trafalgar from some of the women loitering around.

"You're so funny, doctor."

"It's just an elevator."

"He must be really tired after work. The poor thing."

Trafalgar pointedly ignored Doflamingo's massive grin, and stepped into the elevator, and couldn't help but tense up when it closed. It wasn't as surprising as it initially had been, though it made another problem quickly known to him. The small space they were in made him acutely aware of the other man standing right next to him.

"We're going to the fourth floor." Doflamingo commented, pressing a button labeled four.

Trafalgar held perfectly still, not liking the sensation the elevator brought, or the close proximity he was to the older man. Trafalgar was more annoyed than anything when Doflamingo noticed his unease, but merely continued to smile, and said nothing.

Bastard.

Trafalgar stepped out of the elevator as soon as it stopped, and it slid shut behind him. The dark haired man ignored the contraption in favor of keeping his eyes on Doflamingo as the older man went into the nearest room to the left of the living room the elevator opened up into. Trafalgar briefly looked the immediate area over, wondering if there were any weapons lying around. Trafalgar stepped forward to look, though he started to turn back when he heard Doflamingo return.

He wasn't fast enough.

Trafalgar felt one of Doflamingo's arms loop around his waist, gently pulling him backward. Trafalgar closed his eyes and grit his teeth, determined not to make a sound as he felt the other man dip a few of his fingertips down the waistline of his pants. Distracted as he was, Trafalgar still noticed that Doflamingo slipped something into one of his pants pockets. Trafalgar heard Doflamingo chuckle against his ear.

"I'll give you a week, starting now, to put something together for our fight later on."

Trafalgar seized Doflamingo's wrist before the fingers could slip lower, and spoke, almost breathlessly, "What?" Damn Doflamingo to hell. Why was he already groping him again?

Doflamingo laughed, but freed his hand and stepped away. Trafalgar was so easy to tease, and from the look of it he wasn't exactly opposed to his touch. It was amusing to see the amount of denial the dark haired man was in. Clinging to someone else, someone like Kidd, to avoid his own feelings on the matter.

Trafalgar turned and backed up a few steps. Keeping his eyes half on the grinning blond, the dark haired man dipped one hand into his pocket, and drew out three plastic cards. Trafalgar raised his eyes to Doflamingo's glasses, as well as his smile, "What are these?"

Doflamingo frowned briefly before the smile returned, "I suppose you wouldn't know about credit cards." Doflamingo pointed to the cards Trafalgar held, "Just give one of them to a person you're buying something from. Use those to pay for whatever supplies you might need for a fight, but make sure the place you choose is somewhere in this city. Preferably where the cops won't come calling straight away."

Trafalgar put the cards back into his pocket, and headed toward the elevator. He wasn't going to waste any time, and wanted to be out of the other man's presence sooner rather than later. Trafalgar also wanted to hide the fact that his pants were a tad too tight for his liking, even though he was sure that Doflamingo had already noticed.

Doflamingo called after the retreating dark haired man, "Hey, Law, make sure you get receipts for what you buy. I like to keep track of my finances."

Trafalgar pressed the button to the elevator and stepped inside. Without turning, Trafalgar lifted one hand and flipped Doflamingo off. The elevator door slid shut amid Doflamingo bursting into laughter at the sight.

-x-

Inside the elevator, the quiet only gave some relief. Trafalgar pressed his back up against the elevator wall, shifting uncomfortably. The dark haired man was trying very hard to will his body out of a state of arousal, as quickly as it had come upon him. Trafalgar closed his eyes briefly. He hated Doflamingo with a passion. Despised the other man for what he had done in the past and yet…

Trafalgar clenched a fist, ashamed and embarrassed with his own reaction. Why did the older man have such an effect over him after such a long span of time? The dark haired man had been positive that any lingering thoughts about Doflamingo had vanished after what the older blond had done in the past. Trafalgar took a deep breath as the elevator neared the ground floor. He would get through this. He was doing it for Kidd. Trafalgar glowered at the buttons in the elevator as he thought about his red haired lover. Kidd...Kidd shouldn't have been killed in that manner, unable to put up a fight. It was a cowardly thing to do, if effective for Doflamingo to get what he wanted.

Trafalgar left the mansion, ignoring the questions being asked in his wake as his eyes darkened. He was going to make sure that whatever he did, Doflamingo wouldn't live through their upcoming fight. Trafalgar started to head down the nearest sidewalk, his mind whirling with possibilities of what he was going to do.

It was a pity that Kidd wasn't still around. Trafalgar was sure that he would have loved what he had in mind.


	32. Conflicted

Trafalgar, despite all of the thoughts that clouded his mind, didn't really have any idea what he was going to do with the plans he had come up with. They would be illegal for sure, and the dark haired man was fairly certain that there weren't many people willing to risk getting into trouble to help him. And being unable to follow through with his plans was something that Trafalgar wasn't overly familiar with.

The dark haired man had been walking for the past hour in the city, and his only consolation for the time being was that the spell caster hadn't come across him. Trafalgar eyed the area he was in, and was pleased to see that he wasn't anywhere near the police station. At least, he thought that was where Hawkins and the others were, based on Eustass' conversation with Killer over the phone. The dark haired man was pleased that no one was paying him any heed, and they shouldn't, anyway. He wasn't doing anything suspicious.

Yet.

Several hours passed by without any luck for his predicament. By the time it was early evening, Trafalgar found himself at a café. A thought had come to mind to put all of his ideas together, and he had been doodling something on a napkin for the past half hour, oblivious to what was going on around him until a voice cut into his thoughts.

"Sir? Did you order anything?"

Trafalgar lifted his gaze from the tiny, detailed design he'd been drawing, and to the young lady that had addressed him. Trafalgar looked at the table he was at, and shook his head, lying smoothly, "I thought I did. A coffee?"

The young woman furrowed her brow in thought, before she shook her head, "Oh, I'm sorry. I could have sworn I just saw you sit down and…"

"It's fine." Trafalgar cut in distractedly, as he passed a glance over the napkin. He dimly thought that it was best the design was so tiny; there may have been some concerns voiced over the nature of the contents otherwise. Perhaps even calling his mental stability into question if he was actually found following through with it.

"...I'll be right back with the coffee."

Trafalgar nodded his head, and heard the young woman walk away before he turned his attention back to the napkin. He'd had a good idea in the past hour of what he wanted for a place to fight with Doflamingo. There was no way he was merely finding some weapons and an open field from prying eyes. He needed something that would give all of the advantages to him. Something roomy, with enough places to lie down traps and other obstacles to make it difficult for someone as tall as Doflamingo to maneuver around. Trafalgar smirked to himself, barely noticing that the waitress came back and set the coffee down on the table in front of him. Trafalgar didn't notice her give him a wary look at the expression on his face, before quickly going to check on other tables.

Trafalgar paid for the coffee, barely noticing the taste of it as things began to fall into place in his mind of what exactly he was going to do. Trafalgar walked away from the café, and headed down the quieter sidewalks of the city, until he came into the warehouse district, the hospital just around the corner from the first few warehouses.

Warehouse…

Trafalgar smiled. A warehouse would be perfect for what he had in mind. The only thing he would have to do is find one that wasn't in use, and people who would be willing to set things up without too many questions. Mentioning Doflamingo's name would help with the questioning part. Finding people to recruit for making the twisted design on the napkin would be harder to locate…

Some laughter rang out, followed by a few voices chattering. Trafalgar slowed his walk, and his eyes darted around in the semi gloom of the evening. Soon enough, he spotted a group of men chatting with one another, lounging on and against some crates, in front of a warehouse.

Trafalgar smiled again. Things were going quite better than expected. They looked like a bunch of construction workers taking a break, even though they should have been done for the day, with night fast approaching. Trafalgar glanced to the left and then to the right, but there were no other people or cars in immediate view. Good. It made things easier that way. Trafalgar crossed the street and approached the group, who noticed his approach and fell silent. There was a staring contest for a moment, where Trafalgar looked the group over, and they did the same in return. Trafalgar was the first to speak, indicating the warehouse behind them with a jerk of his head, "Is that in use?"

One of the men spoke, a bird shifting on his shoulder, "We're going to take it down."

Meaning tear it down and build something else, which would be inconvenient. The warehouse looked large, which would be perfect for what Trafalgar had in mind. "Would you be interested in building something inside of it instead? My…employer said that I needed to find something big enough to make this in." Trafalgar waved the napkin with the design, "And somewhere where no one, especially the cops, are going to stick their noses in out of curiosity."

The group was silent, before another one, this one with long nose, spoke, "Who's your employer?"

Trafalgar smiled lightly, "Doflamingo-ya. He didn't want to do this himself, for…obvious reasons. people might start asking questions."

A murmur went through the group, before someone else spoke, "I doubt that Doflamingo would have use for a warehouse…"

"He gave me these…" Trafalgar drew out the credit cards, "…to pay for it, and I'm willing to pay a lot to get it done in a week."

If the group missed the slip of the dark haired man saying he was willing to pay a lot, and not Doflamingo, it didn't show. Instead, they spoke amongst one another, before the man with the bird spoke, "You will have to pay half upfront."

Trafalgar nodded, and spent the next few minutes haggling the price, and showing his designs on the napkin. Half the group dispersed to gather supplies to start the next day, while the other man, Kaku, remained behind to discuss the finer points of the designs.

After two and a half hours of negotiations, Trafalgar parted ways with the remainder of the group, after agreeing to come back on the seventh day to check things out, and pay the rest of the money upon completion. Trafalgar was pleased with the exchange. It had helped immensely after showing the other men that the cards did belong to Doflamingo, and could tell from their expression that they weren't about to question Trafalgar on some of the more extreme things he wanted done in the warehouse. Because they didn't want it to reach Doflamingo that they'd indirectly said no to him.

Trafalgar came to a complete halt as he realized something. He had nowhere to stay for the week. Trafalgar clenched a hand. That son of a bitch. Did he think that he was going to go crawling back to his mansion every day for someplace to stay the night? He probably did, the bastard. Trafalgar looked around, and spotted a hotel. He headed for it, thinking that he would rather spend more of Doflamingo's money to stay away from him for a longer time.

-x-

Trafalgar flopped gratefully onto the king sized bed of the most expensive suite he could get. He'd had a bit of a problem with the receptionist, but after suggesting that he could call Doflamingo and let him talk to him, the receptionist had taken the card, looking displeased.

Trafalgar turned over on the bed and sighed. It was nice that he could relax for now. He didn't have to worry about being tracked down by anyone, because other than Doflamingo, no one would be able to find him in the hotel. Trafalgar supposed that he would have to go out the next day and buy some other clothes to wear. He wasn't going to wear what he was wearing for the whole week. And Doflamingo  _had_  been vague about how to use his credit cards. Or at least, that was what the dark haired man had decided. Trafalgar was quiet as he turned over again. He would go out and get expensive food as well.

But first, he desperately needed sleep. He was exhausted. Trafalgar let out a sigh of exasperation as he shook his head. He wasn't sure if he could fall asleep with the idea of Doflamingo tracking him down if he found out what he was using his money for. Trafalgar spotted some bottles of alcohol in the corner of the room, and eyed them for a moment, before rising and popping open one of the corks off a bottle. A little alcohol would perhaps make him relaxed enough to fall asleep.

-x-

Trafalgar swayed as he collapsed back onto the bed, arm moving to turn off the bedside light, where he missed it several times before he plunged the room the rest of the way into darkness. Trafalgar groaned and buried himself beneath the sheets. He had definitely drunk too much alcohol. The dark hared man lay still for a while, before he felt himself start to drift off.

Sleep, however, fled Trafalgar's mind as he felt a weight settle on the bed. The dark haired man muttered something, but kept his eyes closed. He figured that he must be dreaming. Trafalgar felt someone press up against his back, a hand going over his waist, and slowing pulling off his pants and boxers. Trafalgar grumbled something, thinking that what was happening was a bit of a stretch for a dream, but he wasn't going to do anything about it. He hadn't heard the hotel room door open, and the windows were locked tight.

"Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar muttered sleepily, still not quite sure if he were awake or asleep. He felt the body press up against him more closely, the arm over his waist trailing slowly down along his waist before the hand wrapped around his member, and squeezed gently. Trafalgar kept his eyes shut as he pressed backward against the body, and made a light moan as lips began to trace along his throat. It was a rather realistic dream, if nothing else. He didn't think that Kidd normally tired to feel him up when he was drunk, as the red head had complained he didn't remember anything the next day. Trafalgar smirked faintly at the memory, thinking about it as he let himself relax into the sensations he was feeling now.

_Trafalgar had had a late night. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, and sleep as long as he could, before doing anything else. He thought he was in for a quiet night, when something heavy dropped onto the bed, and a warm body bumped into him. Trafalgar sleepily muttered something crossly as arms wrapped around him tightly, and lips started to mouth the corner of his neck. Trafalgar shook his head as he felt one of the hands dip down his pants and trail along teasingly. Trafalgar allowed the kiss his lover drew him into, before speaking sleepily, "I'm trying to sleep, Eustass-ya."_

_"But now you're awake, so play with me. You can sleep later." Kidd said as he buried his face against the side of the dark haired man's throat and started to bite lightly._

_Trafalgar let out an indignant gasp as Kidd dipped his other hand down the back of his pants, yanking them off with both hands in one smooth movement, and leaving Trafalgar naked from the waist down._

_"Just pants tonight?" Kidd laughed, "You should just do that all the time. Makes it easier when I rip them off."_

_Trafalgar turned over onto his side as Kidd pressed up against him, biting his shoulder this time as both hands started to move along. The dark haired man shivered involuntarily. He still wasn't quiet used to showing this man his back. While they had been lovers for the past few months, Trafalgar wasn't quite sure what to make of Kidd's occasional antics. Like tonight. Something seemed to be off. "Eustass-ya?"_

_"Hm?" K_ _idd wrapped an arm around Trafalgar's waist, pulling the dark haired man to his chest, while he continued to tease Trafalgar's member with the other hand. Kidd nuzzled his head against Trafalgar's._

_Trafalgar hesitantly rested a hand on top of the arm around his waist, "Are you drunk?"_

_Hot breath puffed against the side of Trafalgar's neck as Kidd leaned over his shoulder for a kiss, "Mm, maybe I had too much with the crew."_

_"You are not having sex with me while drunk." Trafalgar said darkly, though he couldn't help but let out a faint moan as Kidd's hand trailed along at a steady pace around his cock. Trafalgar felt Kidd press even closer, and saw that he was fully aroused and ready to go. "I mean it, Eustass-ya."_

_"Bad experience in the past?" Kidd mumbled as he went back to nuzzling Trafalgar's back and kissing it. He was pretty tired, now that he was thinking about it._

_"I'd rather not discuss it." Trafalgar said evasively, and he went still as Kidd's hand left him, and wrapped around his waist. It was all the warning he got before the red head flipped them over onto the other side. Trafalgar squirmed in Kidd's grasp, until he freed himself, and reached over to swat the tipsy red head, "What the hell are you doing?" The dark haired man fell silent as Kidd stretched and looked up at him with a sleepy, almost confused look. Trafalgar averted his gaze. Cute was something he would not think possible for Kidd, but the way the red head's hair was tousled and his clothing thrown on haphazardly turned Trafalgar on more than he thought. A friendly twitch reminded the dark haired man that he was going to have to either finish jerking himself off or getting the obviously drunk Kidd to do so. Unfortunately, it seemed like Kidd had other plans._

_Kidd reached out and pulled Trafalgar down, crushing him up against his chest with both arms, and settled on the bed, taking Trafalgar with him. Kidd mumbled something at the amount of movement coming from the dark haired man, before draping one of his legs over Trafalgar's to hold him down. Kidd held the other man up against him snugly, sleepily resting his head above Trafalgar's._

_Trafalgar realized that both of his arms were above Kidd's, and therefore, he was unable to reach his painfully erect member. The dark haired man writhed the faintest amount at just how closely Kidd was holding him, not very used to being held so close without sex following soon after. Trafalgar heard Kidd's breath start to even out, and realized what the red head was doing. He was cuddling him, and starting to fall asleep._

_Son of a bitch._

_"Eustass-ya. Finish what you started before falling asleep." Trafalgar demanded, bumping his head up against Kidd's jaw._

_"Mm...no."_

_Trafalgar felt Kidd nuzzle the top of his head again, before he went still, and soon started to snore softly. The cuddling part was weird, but it wouldn't have bothered him as much if Kidd had just decided to have sex while he was at it. Trafalgar was displeased that he was forced to endure the feeling of being extremely turned on and unable to relieve himself, and the cause of his ire not doing anything to make it go away as Kidd wrapped himself closer in his slumber._

_The next morning Kidd had not remembered anything, but at least he did realize the perils of coming to his lover drunk. The morning had been full of sex and Kidd was worn out by the time Trafalgar was finished with him._

Trafalgar was startled out of his lusty past memory as the lips against the side of his neck bit down, teeth scraping gently along. Trafalgar stretched and let out a sound of contentment. His hazy mind didn't think about the unrealistic way he was thinking about the past and being touched in a dream at the same time.

Trafalgar's arms felt heavy, so he didn't bother trying to raise them to grab the hand that was moving steadily along, as the other hand suddenly cupped his jaw and turned him so that he was distracted by a kiss. Trafalgar twitched as his lower lip was bitten lightly, before he moaned into the kiss, which nearly leaving him breathless. Trafalgar heard a quiet laugh, and furrowed his brow lightly, yet he still didn't want to open his eyes. Didn't want this oddly realistic dream to end, "Eustass-ya?"

Trafalgar was utterly confused when the touch withdrew entirely, and someone murmured something in a deeper voice, confusing the dark haired man. Traflagar dimly thought he heard some loud thud, like the closing of a door, but he knew that he'd locked it…

-x

Trafalgar's eyes flew open in surprise, and spoke with a gasp, "Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar looked over his shoulder, his disappointment immediate when he realized no one was there, and that he was alone. After a dazed glance to ensure that the door to the room was shut, Trafalgar back turned over and frowned. What the hell was that? Had he really been dreaming all of that? Did he…really miss Kidd that much that he'd imagine the red head with him after he'd drunk himself into a stupor? The dark haired man closed his eyes. Yes, yes he would, pathetically enough. Doflamingo had made him question himself about just what kind of relationship he'd had with Kidd, but it had certainly been more than just fucking, as the blond had so ineloquently put.

Trafalgar put it from his mind, aware that he hadn't been asleep that long, because his mind was still in a bit of a fog from all of the alcohol he had consumed.

Trafalgar turned over and let out a sigh. He really shouldn't drink so much if he was going to start to imagine Kidd, who was gone, start to give him a hand job, when according to Doflamingo, he was dead.

-x-

Time went by far too quickly, but after the first drunken night, Trafalgar felt surprisingly good by the end of that week. He'd been able to accomplish what he hoped he would be able to in that short amount of time.

Trafalgar headed for the warehouse in the early afternoon of the seventh day, knowing that he had to return to Doflamingo's mansion soon. The dark haired man absently adjusted the trench coat he'd bought several days before, and smirked to himself. Trafalgar had gotten the receipts for everything all right, and he had only done so because he could only begin to imagine what Doflamingo would have to say about it when he saw them.

Trafalgar was immensely satisfied with the way the warehouse turned out, and, after having one of the men show him how to work the electronics in the control room, paid the remainder of the fee with one of Dofalmingo's credit cards. The construction group parted ways, and Trafalgar himself headed back for Doflamingo's mansion.

-x-

Trafalgar was relieved that no one stopped him when he entered the mansion and made his way to the elevator. The dark haired man was quiet as he waited for the elevator to reach the fourth floor. Trafalgar dipped his hand into the trench coat's pocket, and fingered the knife there that he had bought the day before.

Trafalgar stepped out of the elevator and into the spacious living room. Trafalgar silently made his way to the door that he had seen Doflamingo go in before, and silently opened the door, and peered inside. Trafalgar allowed his eyes to adjust the dark, as Doflamingo hadn't bothered to open his curtains yet. Trafalgar was rather surprised that the man was still slumbering. Trafalgar smiled as he silently headed for the bed. It worked perfectly for him. Doflamingo's back was even toward him, so the other man wouldn't even see him coming.

As soon as he was close enough, Trafalgar lunged, knife ready. Murderous thoughts of plunging the blade over and over into the older man again like he had in the past flashed through Trafalgar's mind, but they soon were lost as he himself was taken by surprise. Trafalgar winced as his wrist was suddenly seized. Trafalgar stumbled forward as his momentum was used to pull him onto the bed, and a large body soon pinned him face down on the bed. Trafalgar squirmed in an attempt to get free, but stopped when Doflamingo's hand tightened around his wrist, which made the dark haired man drop the knife. Trafalgar grit his teeth as he watched Doflamingo's free hand grab the weapon and toss it off into a corner of the room. Then, the hand went to ruffle his hair, which pissed Trafalgar off to no end. He'd been tricked, and he'd fallen for it. That seemed to be happening to him lately.

Doflamingo made sure that he kept Trafalgar pinned down firmly. It seemed that the dark haired man wasn't going to let any opportunities to attack him slip by, "At least you came back on time. Did you have fun setting things up?" It looked like he'd had fun with other things too, judging by the expensive looking clothing the other man was wearing.

Trafalgar fought minimally as Doflamingo started to force him out of his trench coat. He wasn't about to make things too easy for the blond haired man. Watching the article of clothing tossed onto a nearby chair, Trafalgar smirked, "It's too bad we can't go there now. I'd really have fun then." And have fun watching Doflamingo harm himself for a time before going in and finishing things himself. That warehouse really was perfectly suited to his needs. Trafalgar bit the inside of his lip as Doflamingo fisted a hand in his hair and yanked him up to his hands and knees. The dark haired man felt the other long forearm go around his waist, and track down slowly to one of his pockets.

"Not until I'm done with you." Dofalmingo commented with a hint of warning, as he pulled out the three credit cards and tossed them onto the small table nearby. Doflamingo let go of Trafalgar's hair as he used that hand to pull out the receipts from the other pocket that was there. Doflamingo absently trailed his free hand up the dark haired man's torso, causing a shudder to run through Trafalgar's entire body. Doflamingo rested his head against Trafalgar's upper back, and steadily moved his hand up as he looked through the receipts. With each one he peeked at, the less attention he focused on Trafalgar, until his arm dropped back down to around the dark haired man's waist as he gave all of the receipts an incredulous look.

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's arm tighten around his waist, and felt the blond haired man's breath puff out more rapidly against his back. Trafalgar smirked again, even if he presumed that he was in trouble. Not that he cared. The bastard deserved it, and it wasn't the worst thing that Trafalgar had in mind for him. Oh no, he was just getting started. He was going to find many ways to make Doflamingo pay for what he had done to Kidd, and in comparison to what he had planned, messing with Doflamingo's finances were the tamest of them all. Trafalgar laughed, "Is there a problem, Joker-ya? You did say I could get anything I needed, didn't you?"

Doflamingo stared hard at the receipts for a moment longer, before he reached over and dropped them onto the table with the credit cards. With an easy movement with the arm around the dark haired man's waist, Doflamingo flipped Trafalgar onto his back, where he loomed over him, displeased, "You maxed out all of the credit cards?"

Trafalgar blinked up at him, for the most part relaxed as he calmly noted the fixed grin aimed his way. Doflamingo was not happy. Good. Trafalgar let his body go limp as he smiled faintly, "So? You gave them to me, so I presumed that I was allowed to use them in any way that I saw fit?" Trafalgar stilled further as Doflamingo settled over him more closely, and breathed against his left ear, "I said anything you needed for a fight. That doesn't include staying at the most expensive hotel you could find and going on a shopping spree. One of those cards had a one hundred and fifty thousand maximum."

"That's not my problem, though…" Trafalgar stated smugly, "…when you weren't being clear on what I could and couldn't do with them. You never said I couldn't use those cards for anything else."

Doflamingo didn't like the smug tone in Trafalgar's voice, and he decided that he would have to look at the receipts more closely, to see what exactly it was that Trafalgar had been up to.

Trafalgar grit his teeth as he felt Doflamingo work off his pants and boxers, a large hand palming him and trailing along. Trafalgar fisted the sheets beneath him, refusing to make a sound. Doflamingo's free hand cupped his jaw far more gently, and turned his head for a kiss. Still Trafalgar refused to do anything, or make this easy on Doflamingo in any way. He hadn't realized that the hand against his jaw had left until he felt a sharp poke against the side of his neck. Trafalgar didn't know what it was, and ended up gasping in protest, which had been a mistake that Doflamingo took advantage of.

Doflamingo chuckled as he explored the inside of Trafalgar's mouth, squeezing his hand around Trafalgar's dick in retaliation for the dark haired man biting him in the kiss. Doflamingo pulled back and grinned at Trafalgar gasping in air, before he buried his face against the corner of Trafalgar's neck instead.

"What did you…do?" Trafalgar demanded, squirming when Doflamingo moved his hand along more quickly. The dark haired man bit his lip. He wasn't going to make a sound. He refused to do so.

"I just used another of those small capsuled drugs. It'll keep the other Law from resurfacing, for now. I'd rather he not see or hear some things." Doflamingo was silent as he ran his hand along, until he felt a shudder run through the other man. With a brief flash of teeth, Doflamingo gripped his hand around Trafalgar's member snugly, preventing the other man any relief.

Trafalgar's breath came out in uneven gasps, barely able to latch on to the fact of what Doflamingo had just done. Trafalgar's mind seemed to come back online, and he glanced up at Doflamingo, who had drawn back to grin at him in amusement. The dark haired man averted his eyes when he'd seen that at some point, Doflamingo had removed his shades. For some reason Trafalgar just couldn't meet his eyes, though it was mainly due to the fact that he had been enjoying what Doflamingo had been doing to his body. Trafalgar hated himself for that, and he wasn't about to admit it to the grinning blond watching his every move that he wanted him to keep going.

"I thought you told me that I could go to hell the next time I thought about laying a hand on you? Right before I went after your red haired lover in the past?" Doflamingo asked mildly, moving his hand a few times before stopping, and grinning at the look of frustration and need on the dark haired man's face, "Law?"

Trafalgar looked anywhere but Doflamingo. The dark haired man remained silent, as his mind went over things in as calm a manner as he could, acutely aware of the older man's presence, and touch.

Seeing that Trafalgar wasn't about to say anything, Doflamingo tried a different approach, "I find it disappointing that you thought it was your dead lover in the hotel room, when you were sleeping off all of the alcohol you drank."

That got Trafalgar's attention, and he met Doflamingo's eyes briefly, "That was you?" Trafalgar frowned as he tried to remember that night. It was hazy. "But you shouldn't have known that I was there."

Doflamingo chuckled at that, "The receptionist called me, to check if you were supposed to have had one of my credit cards. I went to the hotel and they gave me a key, so I could see who had used my card." Doflamingo's voice took on almost hurt tone, "I left once it was clear that you were still drunk enough that you were imagining me to be someone else. I'm hurt that you'd ever mistake me for that low life fool."

Trafalgar smiled at the hurt comment, while he was inwardly angry at the low life comment directed at Kidd. Sure he wasn't exactly high class, but he was better company than most other people. At least he wasn't terrified at the sight of blood or afraid to get hurt or cause injury. Not that Doflamingo was. Though the blond had refused to indulge in Trafalgar's love of cutting people up during sex. Trafalgar highly doubted that Doflamingo was actually that upset over losing him as a bed partner. They hadn't even been together for very long anyway. It'd merely been a whim for both of them a few times, and Trafalgar found that he simply needed someone else who was more open to some more extreme things that would satisfy him more fully. Trafalgar held in a gasp as Doflamingo started to run his hand along his member again, and winced as the blond bit the side of his neck in warning, when the dark haired man tired to touch himself to move things along.

Doflamingo pressed down, again preventing Trafalgar from climaxing, and spoke softly, as he felt Trafalgar tremble faintly beneath him. He felt it was time to get something off his chest. Something that he would have mentioned had Trafalgar and Kidd not attacked him in the hospital in the past, "For a doctor and surgeon, you really weren't very bright when it came to realizing what people were trying to offer you." Doflamingo leaned in closely to whisper against Trafalgar's throat, "I did mean it when I said I'd make sure that no one would find out what you'd been doing at the hospital. I didn't mean for you to think that I didn't want you to work anymore. I wanted you at home until I could direct unwanted attention from you. I would have asked you to go work at another hospital further away afterward. One that would have no idea what you were doing before." Doflamingo rested his head against the crook of Trafalgar's neck, "But you were gone more often, and I hadn't known at the time where you were going. I didn't care if you were screwing someone else, but since you never said anything, things ended up getting out of hand, and there was nothing I could do to stop people from going after you."

Trafalgar dropped his gaze when Doflamingo tilted his head up to look at him. Some of the past conversations were making a comeback in his mind, but it didn't change Trafalgar's mind as he turned his head away, "You're lying. You wanted me to quit so I would stay with you at your home." Trafalgar bit back a pained cry as Doflamingo turned his head at a painful angle.

"Why would I waste my time trying to make sure you didn't get yourself killed?" Doflamingo replied, "I wouldn't have been able to keep people from trying to harm you if you weren't somewhere I could keep an eye on you for a while before things calmed down."

"Nothing would have changed between us, Joker-ya. I'd already made up my mind, after what you pulled." Trafalgar refused to let that particular memory surface any further, and shook his head, "No matter what you did, even trying to protect me, it never would have made up for what you took away."

Doflamingo's eyes flashed dangerously, realizing what Trafalgar was hinting at, and as it was a touchy subject for him as well, decided to not talk about it, "You made the decision to stay away on your own. You never asked me about how I felt about the matter. You just cut all ties out of the blue." Doflamingo growled. Not that he would have pushed much, but the fact that Trafalgar had never mentioned it was what bothered him the most about the end of their brief relationship.

"It was my decision to make. You should have known it was coming, when I stopped seeing you as often as I had…" Trafalgar was unable to say anything else, as Doflamingo had leaned over and locked him in another kiss.

Doflamingo leaned back, and his hand finally let go of Trafalgar's member as he ran his hand along it again.

Trafalgar cried out in surprise, grimacing as Doflamingo made him come, rather roughly. He loathed the fact that it made his body want more. Trafalgar lay panting for breath as Doflamingo loomed over him again with a half-smile.

"I think we'll talk more later."

Trafalgar was ready to keep talking, just to get on the other man's nerves. He knew the other man knew that he hated to be told what to do. Before the dark haired man could say anything, however, his mind ended up coming to a halt and instead blanked out as Doflamingo began to run his hands over him. Trafalgar's eyes closed briefly.  _'Eustass-ya…'_

Trafalgar knew that his red haired lover wasn't going to come to his rescue this time, and had to wonder, in the back of his mind, if he would have wanted Kidd to stop Doflamingo. Trafalgar was confused. He hated Doflamingo, so why? Why was he letting him do this without putting up much of a fight?

Trafalgar fisted the sheets beneath him as the older man's hands moved over him in careful, precise movements, and the dark haired man shivered as Doflamingo whispered against his ear.

"Law…"

Trafalgar reluctantly looked up at Doflamingo, and offered a thin, barely there smirk, "I thought we were done talking? If you're going to fuck me, do it already. I want to get some sleep." Trafalgar was surprised when Doflamingo pulled away from him altogether, and instead moved to the end of the bed to rummage around in the drawer of the table that was there. Trafalgar was only briefly surprised, before he sat up noiselessly and reached with one hand to beneath the collar of his shirt, and palmed another sharp object. A tiny dagger. The dark haired man pointedly ignored that he was naked from the waist down, and moved forward up against Doflamingo's back. Trafalgar was pleased to note that the other man had gone still, and the dark haired man decided he would let Doflamingo think what he would.

"I'm not done talking. You still have answers to questions I want answered." Trafalgar felt a laugh sound from the other man.

"I'm not in the mood for a question and answer session, Law. Besides, I'm sure you already know most of it anyway."

Trafalgar used the hand not holding the small dagger to reach around Doflamingo's waist, expecting the other man's hand to move over his own. He didn't, and Trafalgar smirked to himself. Did Doflamingo really think telling him the real reasons behind wanting him to stop working at the hospital before would really change his mind? The blond haired man was a fool if he believed it. It didn't cancel out what had happened before he'd me Kidd, and Doflamingo offing Kidd last week hadn't done anything to make Trafalgar like Doflamingo as he had before they had had a falling out.

Doflamingo felt Trafalgar's hand tracing around his waist, and wondered what the other man was up to. He doubted it was anything that would allow the other man to get away, and Doflamingo reached forward to rummage through the drawer some more, "Nothing to say?" Doflamingo tossed the lube he'd been looking for on the bed, some handcuffs following soon after. He doubted that Trafalgar was going to make things easy, though his current actions might suggest otherwise. But Doflamingo doubted it. He had seen the look in the other man's eyes.

Doflamingo froze at the sharp prick of a blade against his lower spine, and after a frown, he smiled at the action. Trafalgar was certainly asking for some punishment with the way he was acting. Trying to jump him in bed with a knife was one thing, but the tiny blade placed where it was more of a statement. No matter past reasons, Trafalgar still appeared to be intent on causing him lasting harm, or be the cause of his death. Doflamingo laughed even as the blade rested more heavily against the skin, Trafalgar's arm tightening around his waist, "Fufufufu. What do you think you are doing, Law?"

"You didn't think that I was going to just lie here and have sex with you, did you?"

"Is all this anger over your dead lover really necessary?"

Trafalgar's hand faltered for one brief moment, feeling as if he had just been slapped with the sharp comment. The dark haired man's hesitation was long enough for Doflamingo to catch a glancing blow against his jaw. Trafalgar let out a strangled gasp as his teeth clacked together from the force, snapping his head backward and momentarily stunning him as he collapsed onto the bed. While it wasn't the heaviest blow Doflamingo could have landed, it was done heavily enough that Trafalgar knew the other man could have easily broken his jaw if he had chosen to strike him harder. Trafalgar lay limply, trying to recover from the surprise of the attack, and was unable to do anything as he felt himself flipped back over onto his stomach, and his arms were pulled over his head. The dark haired man felt metal close over his wrists, and he blindly half rose to his hands and knees, before Doflamingo settled over him, pressing him back down to the mattress as he hissed a warning in his closest ear, "Try that again, and I may have to go back my word to the other Law of not harming his body too much."

Trafalgar leaned his head to the side, and noted that his hands were cuffed together, so he couldn't do much other than brace himself on the bed before him. Trafalgar bit back a moan as Doflamingo's hands started to rove over him, before one closed over his cock again. Trafalgar was frustrated beyond belief that his damn body responded by getting hard again with only a few touches from the other man. Trafalgar dimly heard Doflamingo chuckle against his ear, before he felt the other man use his other hand to fiddle with something, and the dark haired man noticed with trepidation that there was a steady pressure on his member, even when Doflamingo's hands moved away.

"I'm punishing you, remember? I'm not going to let you come until I feel that I've gotten through to you."

Trafalgar bit back a scathing response as Doflamingo went straight to the lube, and started to prepare him with it. Trafalgar braced himself on the bed, shivering faintly with every touch as he tired to figure out some way to get out of this.

Doflamingo moved his fingers along slowly, loving every shiver and moan that he was able to draw out from Trafalgar. It was much better being in control of his own body. That damn Kidd didn't know how to use his body like he did, and Doflamingo was going to enjoy tormenting Trafalgar for a while longer. Doflamingo knew perfectly well why Trafalgar had broken off their relationship and had gone to Kidd, but it didn't mean that he wasn't going to be offended by it anyway. The older man made rough, precise movements with his fingers, drawing out an interesting mixture of a whine and moan of pleasure. Doflamingo grinned. He didn't know why Trafalgar found it so hard to believe that he'd only been trying to help him, but of course, the dark haired man had misinterpreted his actions entirely.

Doflamingo grinned when Trafalgar seemed to break down, shifting his hips slightly to make Doflamingo go in deeper. Doflamingo rested his head against Trafalgar's upper back, grinning slyly, "You are very contradictory, Law. Do you want me to keep going?" Doflamingo stilled his hand, his other hand going to hold Trafalgar's hips down.

Trafalgar made a thin noise through his nose, as he buried his face against the blankets. His whole body was shaking faintly, and he was so turned on that he was ashamed that he'd let things go this far. Maybe he should have tried to get Doflamingo to kill him after all, or make him actually knock him out instead. Trafalgar loosely clutched the sheets beneath him, refusing to answer.

"Law?"

Trafalgar held in a groan as Doflamingo's fingers drew away, but was able to prevent from sounding disappointed. Trafalgar closed his eyes, his cuffed hands twitching as he heard Doflamingo get more of the lube. Trafalgar gasped as he was turned over onto his back and Doflamingo was leaning over him, resting up against him, and obviously very eager to be there. Trafalgar avoided Doflamingo's oddly intense gaze, and shivered again as Doflamingo rested his head on his shoulder, hands running along his sides.

"Well, Law? Do you want me to stop?" Doflamingo pressed more closely, teasingly, as he titled his head to kiss Trafalgar's neck, and was amused by just how quickly Trafalgar's heart was racing.

Trafalgar swallowed heavily, hating himself, and hating Doflamingo. Hating him for putting himself in this position. Trafalgar remembered telling Kidd that he would have enjoyed putting Doflamingo's body out of commission when he'd possessed the blond. It seemed so long ago. But here he was now, in a similar situation as he'd mentioned, as well as the one that Kidd had walked into in the hospital in the past. Only…Trafalgar had lied to him afterward about what he'd seen. And had said nothing in the hidden room when Kidd had brought it up a little over a week ago. About how Trafalgar wasn't even going to fight Doflamingo. He would have just been resigned, but would have known that Kidd was safe.

Doflamingo frowned a little, "Still thinking about him?"

"…About how we almost killed you and I didn't correct him when I told him that...you were forcing yourself on me."

Doflamingo was silent for a moment, before a massive grin crossed his face and he lifted his head to kiss Trafalgar, who didn't protest as much this time. When Doflamingo was satisfied that he'd left the other man breathless, he spoke against his lips, "I didn't think you would lie to him. Did you really like him that much that you would hide the fact that you'd been in a relationship with me before?"

Trafalgar closed his eyes, until he felt Doflamingo go back to kissing his collarbone, "He didn't have to know." The dark haired man wondered the same thing, but with Kidd's temper, he hadn't felt like it should be brought up. Though he doubted Kidd would have gotten jealous. They had been fine with seeing other people on the sly when he was away at sea. The circumstances between Kidd being injured and Doflamingo being threatening had just driven Kidd in the past to decide he needed to protect Trafalgar from the older man. Injured or not. The fact that Trafalgar had joined in on injuring Doflamingo had merely been because the opportunity had been presented.

Doflamingo pressed closer, and Trafalgar's thoughts fled him.

What he could have done in the past.

What he should have done.

What he would have done with all he knew now.

It all left him, and Trafalgar was at a complete loss once more. Conflicted as Doflamingo began to move against him. The dark haired man tried to ignore the fact that he had reached up and draped his cuffed hands up and over Doflamingo's head, and against the man's neck, to pull him closer. And closer, as the thrusting began to become a mixture of pain and pleasure, and he needed something to hold on to.

Trafalgar attempted to ignore the guilt that was there in the back of his mind when he initiated a kiss; ignored the slight curve to Doflamingo's lips at the action. Doflamingo's constant thrusting was in the forefront of his mind, and Trafalgar needed a distraction. He didn't care that Doflamingo was enjoying himself with the kiss, and in a short time, found himself to enjoy it marginally as Doflamingo thoroughly explored his mouth, and more slowly this time. It hadn't even crossed the dark haired man's mind to bite.

Trafalgar hated himself with each movement, each traitorous moan of pleasure, and tried to remind himself that he was only marginally allowing this, because he would be able to get revenge on Doflamingo in the near future. Some humiliation and confusion on his past desires and feelings, which he had thought he had put far behind him, would be worth it in the end. At least, Trafalgar hoped they would be.

Thought completely left the dark haired man as the thrusts began to become drawn out, and Trafalgar weakly gripped around the back of Doflamingo's neck, the other man showing no sign of wearing out just yet. Trafalgar closed his eyes as he brought Doflamingo's head down lower so he could pant against the other man's throat, making some kind of pleading for the other man to let him come as well. His member was aching from being restrained, and each thrust and touch from Doflamingo was nearly as much torture as it was pleasure. Trafalgar heard Doflamingo chuckle, before his mind blanked out again as the older man brought him into another kiss.

For his part, Doflamingo merely focused on drawing out any and all cries he could from Trafalgar. He found it amusing that Trafalgar didn't know what he wanted, as conflicted as he was.

Trafalgar was finally so overwhelmed by the sensations that he could no longer keep up, and as soon as Doflamingo had finished and pulled out, the dark haired man had passed out.

-x-

Doflamingo lounged on a chair next to the bed, twirling his shades idly in one hand. He cast a glance over to Trafalgar, who was passed out and fast asleep. Doflamingo frowned briefly, before he thought over his plans for the next few weeks. He needed to make sure that Trafalgar didn't find out that Kidd was still alive. He didn't want to think how nasty Trafalgar would become if he was able to get his hands on some weapons and enough space to use them.

Doflamingo rose and crossed into the living room, smiling to himself. He was curious what Trafalgar would spend so much money on. It must be intricate, knowing the dark haired man. Doflamingo was almost tempted to go to the warehouse to see for himself. The older man cast a look over at the bed to make sure that Trafalgar was still asleep on the bed, before he disappeared into the spacious bathroom. He was beginning to think he that he didn't want to allow Trafalgar a chance to kill him on his own terms. It was far more entertaining to toy with the other man's mind, and watch him struggle with his conflicted thoughts and feelings.

-x-

Trafalgar woke to Doflamingo moving around in his room, but held still, feigning sleep. The dark haired man kept his eyes squeezed shut as he gripped the sheets tightly with one of his hands. He'd allowed the other man to get him caught up in things that should have remained buried in the past. It was bound to dredge up other unpleasant memories that Trafalgar could really do without. Trafalgar opened his eyes briefly, and stared blankly at the sheets clenched in his fist as he mumbled softly, "Eustass-ya…"

"Law? Are you awake?"

Trafalgar allowed his eyes to close as he felt a shadow pass over him. This was going to be more difficult than Trafalgar thought it would be. He would have to be more careful, and hope that Doflamingo would grow bored of him, or whatever he had wanted him to do as the Surgeon of Death. Trafalgar felt one of Doflamingo's hands pat his shoulder.

"Law?" Doflamingo moved his hand away after patting the dark haired man's shoulder again. Trafalgar should be awake by now, "You want a shower? I'd like you to do something for me tonight. There's a meeting, and there's a person in particular that doesn't need to leave the building after it." Doflamingo watched Trafalgar shift, but otherwise not make any move.

Trafalgar restrained the urge to tell Doflamingo to do it himself, as the dark haired man would rather not have Doflamingo decide to withhold letting him have his revenge. It wouldn't surprise Trafalgar if Doflamingo did try that at some point if he happened to do one too many things to get on his nerves. Trafalgar shifted and glanced irritably over his shoulder at Doflamingo, whose grin widened at the glare aimed his way. The dark haired doctor narrowed his eyes in return, but after some digging beneath the sheets, slipped his boxers on and got out of bed. He sidestepped Doflamingo and headed for the bathroom, pointedly ignoring Doflamingo chuckling in amusement at the way he had swatted his hand away.

Doflamingo watched the bathroom door shut with a loud bang, and his grin widened to the point it almost hurt. He was going to have fun with Trafalgar, and he'd have to decide what to do about the fact that Trafalgar possessed the other Law's body. He supposed he would have to get the spirit to leave eventually, if he wanted the other Law back, but…Doflamingo chuckled at the loud curses issuing from the bathroom. Maybe he would wait until later. Maybe he could find another body for Trafalgar to possess.

-x-

In the bathroom, Trafalgar cursed as the hot water stung the numerous bites and scratches on his body, and vowed to be vicious with his revenge. He hated the mind games Doflamingo was using to toy with him, especially when he was on the receiving end of them.

-x-

Doflamingo put in some calls while Trafalgar was in the shower. He was pleased that things were going well so far, but if the blond haired man had known that Kidd was recovering from the bullet wounds, he would have been more wary about what he would do in the following weeks.

Or how much information he would allow to be leaked to the media regarding Trafalgar's soon to be illegal acts as the Surgeon of Death.


	33. Falling

Trafalgar wasn't overly bothered by the thought of having to kill someone. It was just something he hadn't had to do in the time that he'd been dead and haunting Kidd's house. The dark haired man had fully expected he would be killing someone, or several someone's, when Doflamingo had first told him that he wanted him to be the surgeon of death for a short time. In the past, that had meant that Trafalgar had been at the hospital, and Doflamingo would bring in an enemy or someone else, and have the surgeon kill them in a creative way. Other times, Trafalgar would go out to find the person, and would have to report to Doflamingo afterward.

What Trafalgar was currently doing now was really a reminder he could have done without, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. For the time being, he would do as Doflamingo asked, just because Trafalgar knew that at some point he would be able to finally have his revenge.

Trafalgar pressed his back up against a wall, blending in with the shadows of the darkened hall of the building the meeting had taken place at. Doflamingo had considered bringing Traflagar along to the meeting, but decided that it would seem suspicious if Trafalgar vanished for a time, and then returned after someone ended up dead.

The dark haired man tugged irritably at the clothing he wore, as well as the hood that was pulled over his head to hide his features. He wasn't sure that he liked what Doflamingo had come up with in exchange. The clothing Trafalgar had put on was uncomfortable, but the dark haired man supposed he could see Doflamingo's point when the blond haired man had told him that it would disguise him in case anyone caught sight of him. Trafalgar heard footsteps approaching, slowly, and pressed his back a little heavier against the wall. The only reason he supposed he was hiding his features was because Doflamingo likely didn't want the other Law to get into trouble when he eventually regained control of his body.

The dark haired man snorted softly under his breath, and palmed the serrated knife that Doflamingo had given him. 'Something different than before' were the words the older man had used, along with an infuriating smile. Trafalgar readied himself as he heard the man he was to get rid of mutter under his breath about politics and how he was supposed to get anything done if people continually interfered. Trafalgar couldn't help but smile at that, as the man's troubles were about to come to an abrupt end.

As soon as the well dressed man turned the corner, Trafalgar lunged forward, and seized the man. With little effort on his part, Trafalgar dragged the man backward into a utility room, where he wasted no time in slitting the man's throat before he could utter a sound. The dark haired man made a few more cuts here and there to ensure that the other man would bleed out, before he pocketed the knife and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Trafalgar held still, listening, but heard no one. Glancing at his bloodied hands, Trafalgar supposed that he should go clean up, and that perhaps lingering in the building would not be a good idea...

"Hey! Who goes there?"

Trafalgar swore under his breath and slipped on the gloves that were in his pockets, before he ran to the nearest stairwell, the security guard pursuing him. The dark haired man reached up to make sure that the hood didn't fall off as he raced down the stairs, and shouldered open the ground floor door that opened up into an alley. Getting his bearings, Trafalgar sprinted to the end of the alley, and raced off into the night, heading in the direction of Doflamingo's mansion. He didn't have anywhere else to go, and at the very least he would be able to outpace the security guard.

Trafalgar was defientely going to mention that to Doflamingo. He had thought that the older man had made sure that there was going to be no one in the area when he made the kill.

-x-

Eustass was irritated.

Hawkins and Marco had stopped by the apartment room that he was staying in while he recovered, but that wasn't the reason for his ire. It was what the two men couldn't do for him that bothered Eustass the most. Neither Hawkins nor Marco could get Kidd's spirit to leave his body. That didn't exactly put Eustass in a very good mood, despite how shitty he still felt from the wounds he'd received from Doflamingo's gun.

"What the fuck? Why can't you get rid of him?" Eustass demanded, "I thought you mentioned that you made him leave Law's body before, didn't you?"

"He wasn't as attached when he possessed Law's body. It was an easier matter to convince him to leave." Hawkins studied Eustass' battered appearance, before shaking his head, "It is beyond my power to convince the spirit to leave. If I did, it would only cause both of you pain, and would solve nothing."

Eustass turned an exhausted eye on Marco, "What about you?" At the very least, Kidd had shut up, and wasn't saying anything at the moment. Eustass was glad for the silence. Before Hawkins and Marco had come by, Kidd had ben harassing him nonstop about going to go find Trafalgar, despite the fact that Eustass' body was beaten up, and not at all in any condition to go wandering the city. "I suppose you can't make him leave either?"

"I can, but not until the spirit agrees to leave, and from what I can sense, he doesn't have any intention of leaving anytime soon." Marco said after a moment of silence.

Eustass frowned at the other man, "If you can make him leave, why don't you? Who cares what the spirit or whatever wants?"

"If I force him out, it will cause lasting harm to your body. I may even accidently take out some of your spirit, depending on how tightly the other spirit latched itself onto you." Marco responded as he glanced over at Hawkins, "I believe it's quite close, since the spirit hasn't left?"

Hawkins stared at Eustass for a moment, before nodding, "Yes, I believe so. The spirit can't leave on its own now. Not without assistance." Hawkins glanced at Marco, "And if the spirit refuses to leave, there's no point in forcing it out for the time being, correct?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't like to force spirits into doing anything against their will in any case, despite what they might be doing." Marco said in response, turning his eyes on Eustass, who was scowling, "Is the spirit saying anything now? I can't hear them as well as Perona is able to."

Eustass managed a brief smirk, "He's saying that we can all go to hell, and that he isn't going anywhere until he finds Trafalgar."

"Then there's not much we can do until that happens," Marco said, and turned to leave, "We'll be in the city at my house, if the spirit changes its mind."

Hawkins followed along after Marco, though he paused briefly, commenting, "I read some cards the other night, and if you choose to stay in another's body, possessing them, nothing good will come for it. I see that you will find the one you seek, but the future is clouded, and the choices you make will have a direct impact on how you will meet your end." Hawkins left the room, his voice echoing back from the hall, "Fate may be kind in the end, but there is still a trial coming, and depending on how it comes to a close, the two of you may not find the outcome you seek."

Eustass was silent as the door closed, and supposed that the words were meant for Kidd. In an attempt to distract himself from Kidd starting to talk in his mind again, Eustass flipped on the news. Unfortunately, what was being said gained Kidd's attention instantly as the people on the news mentioned a killing and a mysterious figure that had fled the scene. Eustass could tell that Kidd was surprised, yet almost annoyed.

_'What the fuck are you doing Trafalgar?'_

-x-

Trafalgar was nearly finished cleaning up in Doflamingo's bathroom when the blond haired man himself came in and cornered him against the sink. Trafalgar ignored him as best he could as he chose to focus on what little blood was left on his hands. Trafalgar was fairly certain that he'd gotten it all off by now, but he continued to wash his hands anyway, if only to annoy Doflamingo by ignoring him. At least, that was the dark haired man's intentions, until arms wrapped around his waist, and pulled him backward.

"That didn't take very long," Doflamingo commented as he trailed his hands absently along Trafalgar's stomach, as the dark haired man continued to wash his hands. The older man glanced over Trafalgar's head, and noted that the other man's hands were free of blood. "You can stop washing your hands now, or did you think there's still more blood?"

Trafalgar refused to look in the mirror at the man behind him as he turned off the sink. His hands were dripping wet but he didn't move for the towel that was next to the mirror. Something didn't seem right to him about that night, when Trafalgar had cornered the man that Doflamingo had indicated to him hours before, and had killed them in the utility room. Trafalgar frowned, though mostly because Doflamingo had started to toy with his belt, "That man didn't seem to be much of a danger to anyone."

"True, he didn't seem like much, did he?" Doflamingo agreed, "Let's just say that it would inconvenient for me if he were to have let out some information that he had found out about some of my companies." Doflamingo grinned in amusement, "Why do you care? It doesn't have anything to do with you."

Trafalgar thought to tell Doflamingo that he should tell him things whether or not it had 'anything to do with him.' Before the dark haired man could ask anything more, however, Trafalgar felt himself turned around and pushed up against the bathroom vanity, Doflamingo bending over him. Trafalgar gripped the counter of the sink as he averted his eyes, thinking that he knew what the other had in mind.

Doflamingo leaned in close and kissed Trafalgar, smiling into the kiss as he murmured, "I love the look on your face when you kill someone. I watched you earlier. I snuck away from the others that were at the meeting. You didn't see me because you were so focused."

Trafalgar closed his eyes as he felt Doflamingo move up against him more closely. Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's hands trail lightly along his side, and again told himself that he could get through this. It wouldn't last for very long, and soon enough, he would be able to have his revenge. Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's hands dip down to his waist as the older man removed the belt that was there in record time. Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut tighter as Doflamingo's fingers hooked into either side of the waistline of his pants, making as if to tug them down. That is, if Trafalgar could get through this with his sanity still intact. Or what was left of it.

Doflamingo tilted his head, glancing out of the corner of his eye, and at Trafalgar. The blond haired man saw that Trafalgar had his eyes shut, and his eyebrows knitted in what was more then likely frustration. The blond haired man smiled. He really didn't know why Trafalgar was making this so difficult. Although Doflamingo did suppose, after their brief encounter earlier that afternoon, that he was at least partially to blame for Trafalgar misinterpreting things that had happened in the past. Doflamingo absently trailed his hands for now, taking with them Trafalgar's pants and boxers after he slipped the articles of clothing down. Doflamingo let the fabric drop to the other man's ankles, and looped one arm behind Trafalgar's back, while keeping him pressed up against the sink.

Trafalgar was again aware of how close the other man was, and avoided looking directly at him, despite their close proximity. Trafalgar closed his eyes again, as if that would make things better. He knew what Doflamingo had in mind, and if he had been anyone else, he would've protested about needing a break. But while Trafalgar found himself not exactly opposed to the idea, he really wasn't in the mood. Mainly because he was still thinking about killing the man before him, and hopefully in an interesting way. Trafalgar struggled to keep his emotions under control, as he didn't want Doflamingo to gain the upper hand over him. Inwardly, the dark haired man wondered just how long he could hold out.

Doflamingo noted the change in demeanor, and smiled. Ah, so that was it. There  _was_  something that was bothering Trafalgar, and Doflamingo knew that it was likely to be whatever made Trafalgar want to kill him. Other than the fact that he supposedly killed his so-called lover, but it was more than just being upset over Kidd's supposed death. Doflamingo pulled away briefly look Trafalgar in the eyes, or at least, he tired to, "Is there anything you want to say, Law? Is something bothering you?" Doflamingo saw a quick glance turned his way, before the dark haired man lowered his gaze and closed his eyes. Doflamingo smiled again. "Maybe later, then, when you're feeling more talkative." Doflamingo figured that if he tired Trafalgar out, he would be able to perhaps sneak some answers out of the other man while his guard down.

Whatever Trafalgar expected Doflamingo to do, it wasn't what he did next. The dark haired man let out an indignant gasp as Doflamingo scooped him up and settled him down on the counter, next to the sink

Doflamingo dropped to his knees, grinning amusedly at Trafalgar's expression.

The dark haired man realized immediately what Doflamingo was up to, but didn't move quickly enough to stop him. Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's hands press down on either of his thighs as he leaned forward, and the dark haired man bit back a moan as he felt the blond's mouth close over him. Trafalgar sucked in a harsh breath of air as he felt Doflamingo take him in nearly all the way, large hands trailing along his thighs as they held him down to prevent him from moving around too much. Trafalgar felt a spark race up his spine when he felt Doflamingo laugh around him, and he squeezed his hands into fists against his hips on the counter, determined not to do anything more or make any unnecessary sounds.

Doflamingo felt Trafalgar shaking, and knew that the other man was holding himself back. Doflamingo smiled and went down on the other man harder, this time drawing out a thin whine. So stubborn. It was obvious that Trafalgar still felt something for him, and his wanting to kill him was merely a way to cover that up, as if he didn't want to think about any lingering feelings.

Trafalgar held out for another minute, before Doflamingo's ministrations began to get through to him. Trafalgar let out an exasperated groan as he leaned forward and buried his hands in Doflamingo's short hair, "Bastard..." Trafalgar managed to gasp out, before he buried his face against the hair as well. The chuckle that came from the other man only made Trafalgar tighten his grasp. Trafalgar hated himself as he had earlier, when he realized that he was enjoying himself, enjoying what Doflamingo was doing to him. But it clashed with what he wanted to do to the other man. To kill him, to make him pay for what he had done in the past, and for what he had done to Kidd.

Trafalgar squirmed as Doflamingo sucked particularly hard around his cock, and the dark haired man dug his fingers in more deeply against the older man's scalp. For now, however, thoughts of revenge left Trafalgar's mind. The dark haired man panted harshly against Doflamingo's head, until he finally broke down and whined something incoherent when Doflamingo used the hand around his back to trail down his spine. Trafalgar jerked his hips forward in surprise, before making a strangled sound as he came. Trafalgar shuddered as he felt Doflamingo draw away, and dazedly allowed the other man to scoop him up and carry him to bed.

Dofalmingo set the dark haired man down on the bed, and watched as the dark haired man curled on his side, letting out a low sigh, though Doflamingo could tell that his body remained tensed, as if expecting more. Dofalmingo settled on the bed next to him, but did nothing more then drape an arm over Trafalgar's waist, and pull him up against his chest. He held on with a firm enough grasp to prevent the dark haired man from sneaking away. Doflamingo rested his head above Trafalgar's, and spoke in a low, conversational tone, "Want to talk now?"

A hand swatted the arm that he had around Trafalgar's waist sharply, and Doflamingo chuckled in amusement, and left the night at that.

There was always tomorrow.

-x-

Several weeks went by like that. Trafalgar would be given a mission, whether it was to kill someone, or to glean information from another person, before returning to Doflamingo's mansion. Between Doflamingo's jobs for him, the occasional job at the hospital, and Doflamingos' advances, Trafalgar found himself physically and mentally exhausted, and open to manipulation, despite the fact that he knew it wasn't always Doflamingo's intention to lie to him. And that was what disturbed Trafalgar the most. It seemed more and more like Doflamingo was more interested in trying to get on his good side instead of tormenting him. Trafalgar was, therefore, naturally suspicious when Doflamingo did something that he didn't expect.

Like what he was trying to do now.

"Are you listening to me, Law?"

Trafalgar shoved at the arm around his waist, and was surprised to find that Doflamingo allowed it. The past few weeks the blond haired man was liable to ignore him and just hold on tighter. Trafalgar ignored this change for the time being as he turned over to glare at the other man. Trafalgar pointedly ignored that both of them were naked, and the obvious fact that the other man was in the mood, "I need to  _sleep_ , Joker-ya. I haven't been getting much lately, and it's entirely your fault."

Doflamingo sneaked forward across the bed and leaned in to give Trafalgar a kiss, amused when the dark haired man froze in place, before he hesitantly joined in. "Are you sure you're not distracted in some way?" Doflamingo chuckled into the kiss, before he felt Trafalgar jerk away from it. Doflamingo didn't bother preventing the swat the other man gave to his shoulder. He didn't bother because he knew what had caused the action. Doflamingo had seen the barely there blush, and was again amused at how stubborn Trafalgar was being. He was obviously still attracted to him, no matter how much he complained or threatened him. Doflamingo had been thinking the past few weeks, and was beginning to think that he didn't actually want to get rid of Trafalgar like the dark haired man thought he did. Doflamingo was seriously starting to consider finding another body for Trafalgar, and getting his spirit into it.

Trafalgar moved further away from the older man, and lay down on the bed, hoping that if he continued to feign disinterest, Doflamingo would let him go to sleep. If he continued to push, Trafalgar was worried that he wouldn't protest too much. And that was not at all what he expected. He had expected to hate Doflamingo the more the blond tried to engage with him, and Trafalgar was horrified to find that he was instead allowing the other man's advances, despite all the anger he directed at the other man every day. Trafalgar was feeling torn, and he wanted nothing more than for Doflamingo to hate him back. To do anything that would justify his own hatred toward him.

Doflamingo frowned at the dark haired man's back, silent. Another thing that he had been considering in those few weeks was how to get Trafalgar to be less hostile toward him. To let him know that he'd changed his mind slightly, and that he wasn't intending sex to be a form of torture. The older man was quiet as he pondered, thinking about a way to show Trafalgar that, even if the dark haired man would continue to be suspicious of his actions.

Traflagar withheld a sigh as Doflamingo pressed up against his back, though the dark haired man couldn't help but shiver faintly as Doflamingo began to trail a line of kisses along the side of his throat. Trafalgar reluctantly allowed Doflamingo to turn him over, and wrapped his arms around Doflamingo's back. When Doflamingo didn't make a move to stop him, Trafalgar lightly ran his fingers down the other man's back, before he scratched his nails down sharply, drawing forth a sharp gasp from the other man. When there wasn't any retaliation like there had been before, Trafalgar ran his fingers down Doflamingo's back again, more heavily this time, and drew a twitch this time. Trafalgar smirked against Doflamingo's chest, and was only slightly startled when Doflamingo turned onto his back.

The dark haired man flicked his gaze to Doflamingo's, gaging the other man silently, before he looked the other over. Trafalgar didn't normally get to stare at the other's muscular chest, or his front in general, and Trafalgar hastily lifted his gaze away from Doflamingo's waist. He could tell with the briefest of glances that the older man was fully aroused, and Trafalgar couldn't quite figure out what Doflamingo was up to. It was different. Before Trafalgar could stop himself, he found himself letting his hands roam over Doflamingo's chest, tracing the muscles, and enjoying the flexing of the abdomen as he ran his hands over it a few times, mapping out the places that were more sensitive. When Trafalgar let his hands drop to Doflamingo's waist, the dark haired man finally seemed to realize what he was doing. Trafalgar jerked his hands away from Doflamingo, and looked away.

Doflamingo tilted his head up slightly, amused, "Why did you stop?" The glare he received made him laugh, though he hadn't guessed that Trafalgar would dig his nails into his side. It hurt, but only a little, and it was entertaining to see Trafalgar look upset about something.

Trafalgar dug his nails in a little deeper at the sight of the grin on the other man's face, "Stop messing with my mind, Joker-ya." Trafalgar let out a grunt as Doflamingo seized him by his arms and dragged him up onto his chest and into a kiss. Trafalgar moaned into the kiss, though more so after Doflamingo slipped in his tongue. Trafalgar found his body relax into the kiss after Doflamingo let go of his arms. Trafalgar turned his head for a better angle, and bit the blond's lower lip, growling something before drawing away and looking ashamed with himself.

Doflamingo didn't give the dark haired man time to fight with himself about what he was doing, as he brought a hand to tangle through Trafalgar's hair and dragged him in close. Doflamingo breathed against Trafalgar's lips, "You've been like this for the past several weeks. Decide whether or not you want this. Don't waste my time if you're just going to stay in denial..." Doflamingo didn't let the dark haired man respond as he drew him back into another kiss. When Doflamingo was satisfied that he would leave Trafalgar breathless, the blond broke the kiss and finished, "...and not even tell me why you're acting this way. You weren't like this, even before you met that red head. Something happened."

Trafalgar was silent as Doflamingo let go of him altogether, and avoided the older man's gaze. The dark haired man did not want to have this discussion right now, as he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers that he was likely to receive. For the time being, a distraction would have to suffice. Trafalgar would just pretend that it didn't excite him what he was going to do next, despite the fact that his own body was becoming more aroused by the very thought.

Doflamingo wondered if Trafalgar would actually speak, but he was unprepared for Trafalgar to give him a faint smirk as he dropped down and started to give him a blowjob. Doflamingo bit his lip, before his lips twisted into a wildly amused grin. He wasn't sure what brought this on, but he wasn't going to complain. Doflamingo shifted slightly, wincing on occasion as Trafalgar slipped a bite in here and there, hand working with what his mouth couldn't. Doflamingo was confused when Trafalgar stopped abruptly, and propped himself up with his arms to give the dark haired man a look.

Trafalgar gave Doflamingo a teasing smile, and spoke lightly, "I changed my mind again. I don't think I want to really talk to you." Trafalgar knew he was asking for it, especially when Doflamingo lurched up and pinned him facedown on the bed. Trafalgar winced as Doflamingo made sloppy use of some lube, before he gasped and bit back a cry as Doflamingo pushed his way in without warning.

Doflamingo didn't wait for Trafalgar to get used to the intrusion before he began thrusting, and knew that the other man was more or less fine when he hesitantly stated to move in response. Doflamingo held the dark haired man down as he moved and growled dangerously near Trafalgar's ear, "Stop lying to yourself. I'm growing impatient waiting to hear why you have such a problem with me when you didn't use to in the past. I want to know why you really left." Doflamingo wrapped a hand around Trafalgar's member and stroked it, grinning as the other man arched back against him with a moan, "It can't be because you got bored of having sex with me. There's something else, isn't there?"

Trafalgar moaned and gasped with each movement Doflamingo made, but managed to keep ahold of himself and didn't say a word. Trafalgar was pleased that it seemed to irk Doflamingo, even if the dark haired man himself felt some guilt at being so difficult. The older man seemed to be trying hard to get through to him, but there were still so many things Trafalgar needed answered.

Trafalgar closed his eyes as Doflamingo pressed closer to him, the thrusts becoming deeper that he really began to feel them. The dark haired man wasn't sure if he wanted the answers from Doflamingo, because he was starting to become concerned how he would react to the answers that may be provided.

Doflamingo kept his attention on the man writhing beneath him, and sighed inwardly as he finished, and pulled Trafalgar close to him to rest. He knew that Trafalgar was stubborn, but this was a bit much, even for him. Doflamingo couldn't do anything if he didn't know what was bothering the dark haired man, and what was fueling him on his quest to cause him permanent injury or death. Doflamingo trailed a hand through Trafalgar's hair lightly. Kidd couldn't be the only reason for Trafalgar's hostility toward him, and Doflamingo was going to keep pushing until the dark haired doctor finally told him what it was.

He had the time. He could wait. And depending on what Trafalgar might tell him, verbal or not, Doflamingo knew that he was getting somewhere.

Perhaps a little more, and Trafalgar would break down and let him know what he wanted to know. But for now, Doflamingo decided that he needed to get some rest as well. He didn't doubt that Trafalgar needed it, both from now and what he had been up to earlier in the day.

Trafalgar kept his eyes closed as he started to nod off, Doflamingo's arm around his waist in order to keep him close. That the dark haired man didn't try to sneak away when Doflamingo drifted off was concerning. It was even more so when Traflagar realized that he had curled one of his hands around Doflamingo's. Trafalgar pretended that he hadn't done that, and ignored the fact that he had left his hand there. Trafalgar tried to remain awake to think about the worrying turn of recent events.

Trafalgar supposed that there would be time to think tomorrow, so long as Doflamingo stopped trying to confuse him with words or actions. Trafalgar still wanted to cause the other man harm for what he'd done, but Trafalgar was finding it hard to remain focused on trying to bring about the older man's death.

And Trafalgar was concerned that he would lose that mindset, and it scared him. There was a lot of unknowns for the future, and the unease Trafalgar felt regarding everything from Doflamingo to the body that he was possessing, but Doflamingo's heart beat soon lulled the dark haired man into an exhausted sleep.

Doflamingo sleepily clutched Trafalgar closer to his chest, wondering just how long the dark haired man was going to continue with this game. There was only so much he could do unless the other man was willing to work with him. And Doflamingo doubted that would happen any time soon if he couldn't find out what was bothering Trafalgar so much.


	34. An Impasse

Trafalgar had wondered when he would come across someone that would realize his intentions. It was something that he expected, as word about the Surgeon of Death spread in underworld communities. The police hadn't gotten wind of it quite yet, but it was only a matter of time, especially with all of the media eating the story up. Other than robberies on occasion, the city hadn't had to deal with as many murders as Trafalgar was racking up since the last time the dark haired man had been alive.

But that was something to think about for another time. Trafalgar had much more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, and one of them was making sure that he didn't get himself killed right now.

The dark haired man bit his lip as he stumbled backward from the person Doflamingo had told him to grill for answers, and then kill. The other man wasn't as weak as the blond had stated that he was, and Trafalgar was immediately suspicious of Doflamingo. He wondered if the blond had done this on purpose. Perhaps he wasn't interested in either Law anymore, and was interested in ending both of their lives. It wouldn't surprise Trafalgar in the least if that was the case.

Trafalgar didn't make a sound as he avoided a potentially lethal strike, and continued to backpedal, trying to figure a way out of this. He highly doubted that he was going to be able to make a retreat at this point in time. Inwardly cursed Doflamingo as Trafalgar found himself continued backed into a corner. The dark haired man believed more and more that he'd been set up, as he tried to look for an escape route. Anything, to put distance between himself and the man attacking him. Trafalgar reeled backward at particularly nasty strike, and found himself thrown up against a nearby wall, where the breath was driven out of his lungs as he was struck squarely in the gut. The dark haired man collapsed to the ground, where he lay gasping for air. So focused on gaining his breath back, Trafalgar didn't notice the blade until he felt it cut through fabric and tear into the skin across his upper back to his left shoulder. Trafalgar winced, but didn't say a word, as he refused to get any satisfaction to the man gloating overhead. Trafalgar ignored the pain that flared up as best he could, not entirely sure what the other man had in mind.

The dark haired man spotted his knife lying several feet away, and inwardly cursed again when a foot dug into his back. It was a clear message that Trafalgar knew meant that he shouldn't even think about making for the weapon. Trafalgar held still, waiting to see what would happen, and not very confident in the idea of being able to get away without being more wounded than he already was. That was when the man digging a foot into his back let out a little strangled yelp, before it was cut off abruptly with a sickening crunch. Trafalgar held perfectly still as he heard the body dropped to the ground, and wondered if perhaps someone had come to finish off both of them.

"Law?"

Trafalgar remained where he lay, as soon as he realized that the voice belonged to Doflamingo. Trafalgar had a hard time accepting the idea that the other man had come to his rescue, as it is further confused himself. Trafalgar didn't want to think about the possibility that Doflamingo cared for him more than just tormenting him for awhile before ejecting him from the other Law's body. Trafalgar felt a shadow fell over him, but he still didn't move, and he soon felt one of Doflamingo's hands gently check the wound, touching the skin alongside it to see how deep the gash was. Since Doflamingo didn't speak, Trafalgar assumed that it wasn't as shallow as he had first thought it to be. The dark haired doctor supposed that might be the case, because he couldn't really feel it, other than the feeling of a dull and painful ache taking root in his mind. Trafalgar really hoped that he hadn't been cut down to the bone. Trafalgar was brought out of his thoughts as he let out a sharp cry as Doflamingo pressed something against the wound and turned him over, picking him up. Trafalgar grit his teeth against the flare up of pain, and sent a glare up in Doflamingo's general direction, before closing his eyes.

Doflamingo checked Trafalgar over silently for any other wounds, a small frown in place of his usual smile, "Law?" The older man glanced at Trafalgar's face, and noted that the other man had closed his eyes and was seemingly ignoring him. Doflamingo began to walk, deciding that he would make a call later to get someone to move the body that he had left behind. He was far more interested getting Trafalgar some medical help, as he didn't think the other man could quite help himself at this point in time with the wound he'd received. He had some people that could help, back at his mansion, though none of them would be nearly as good as Trafalgar or the other Law when it came to surgery.

As Doflamingo headed back to his mansion, sticking to the shadows, the older man tried to figure out what was going on in Trafalgar's mind. The dark haired man had been unusually silent, but Doflamingo knew that he hadn't fallen asleep yet. The blond haired man knew this mostly because of the faint flinches of pain drawn from the man from when he accidentally jostled Trafalgar's wounded shoulder. Doflamingo attempted to see things from the other man's point of view, and just why the other man had given him such a hostile look. Doflamingo inwardly cursed when he realized that perhaps Trafalgar thought that he had been set up, but that really hadn't been the blond's intention. Doflamingo just hadn't realized until too late that the man Trafalgar had been sent to take care of was more than the dark haired man could handle. Doflamingo blamed the man's profile being mixed up with another, otherwise he never would've sent Trafalgar on his own.

-x-

Doflamingo paced outside of the room that a few people were tending to Trafalgar's wounds, and tried to decide just how he should approach the other man. To let him know that he hadn't intended for him to be hurt like this. But with the way Trafalgar was acting as of late, and in the past, Doflamingo doubted that anything he said would make a difference. He didn't know how to communicate to the other man that he didn't exactly mean for something like that to happen, but knew that it was probably the excuse that Trafalgar needed to completely shut himself down from the blond. Which was disappointing. Doflamingo had thought that he'd been getting through to the other man quite well. He thought that he had make made a breakthrough, especially when they were in Doflamingo's private rooms in the mansion. Despite what Trafalgar might have thought in the beginning, they didn't have sex every day, or whenever man was clearly not in the mood. Doflamingo knew that Trafalgar's mind was so occupied that he likely hadn't even noticed when the older man made small changes here and there to try and patch things up between them.

Doflamingo paused in his pacing, frowning faintly as he thought about it. He hadn't realized just how much he had begun to accommodate Trafalgar, or when he had found himself fully attracted to the other man again. Doflamingo hadn't realized just how much he actually wanted the other man back. Doflamingo stared blankly at a nearby wall, and decided that he really start to consider how to go about finding another body for Trafalgar. Even though Doflamingol really wanted to try and fix whatever had been between them, he knew that the other Law wouldn't appreciate him trying to keep the spirit of Trafalgar in his body for any longer than he needed to be. Even if there was another body for Trafalgar, Doflamingo highly doubted that anything would ever be the same between himself and Trafalgar. Doflamingo stretched out. In any case, it would amuse him to try and see if he could get through to Trafalgar, and see if there was anything that indicated that the dark haired man was interested in the same thing.

Doflamingo's smile came back full force as the the people treating Trafalgar exited the room, and he nodded to them as they left. As soon as Doflamingo was alone, he entered the room and quickly spotted Trafalgar laying on the bed face down, silent. Doflamingo crossed the room silently, and settled on the chair that was next to the bed, despite it being a bit on the small side for him to fit on. Doflamingo heard the creak of protest from the chair, but ignored it as he focused on the other man.

Trafalgar heard Doflamingo, but kept his eyes closed. He didn't want see the other man. He didn't want to hear any explanations. Because depending on the explanation Doflamingo might provide, Trafalgar was horrified to find himself thinking that he might forgive the other man if what had happened had been unintentional on his part. Trafalgar was loathe to give Doflamingo any forgiveness, because that would mean that he was becoming more tolerant of the other man, and that would make it quite hard to carry out his revenge for Kidd. And revenge for the past as well, as Trafalgar had never gotten around to it when he'd been alive, and had regretted it as he died.

Doflamingo watched Trafalgar silently, and spoke, thinking that the other man might be awake, "Law, I hadn't realized that my men had gotten information mixed up. If I had known sooner, I wouldn't have sent you." Even in his mind, Doflamingo knew that the explanation wouldn't suffice. It seemed that whatever work he'd done getting through to Trafalgar had taken a hit, as the other man refused to even look at him when he spoke. The older man wasn't sure what Trafalgar needed to see that he was, for the most part, sorry for what had happened, even if it didn't seem that way.

Trafalgar was silent for a moment, before he tilted his head to the side to briefly look at Doflamingo, "...it doesn't matter." It didn't matter, because Trafalgar didn't want to think that Doflamingo really might have been thinking about his safety. Trafalgar didn't want that. At all. He'd rather just have Doflamingo laugh it off and say that he was lucky that he hadn't died. And that he was lucky that he had happened to be there to stop the other person from finishing the job. Trafalgar looked away, shifting uncomfortably. The words the other man had just spoken made him uneasy, as he wasn't used to them, the thought behind it. The words the blond haired man had spoken were as close to an apology the Doflamingo would ever allow himself to utter.

Outwardly, Doflamingo appeared calm, but inwardly, he was frustrated with Trafalgar. Frustrated that the dark haired man insisted on keeping a wall between them. To not even realize that Doflamingo was attempting to make changes, because he wanted to attempt to make things work between them. Or try to make them work. A smile remained in place, even if it dipped slightly, as Doflamingo spoke again, "Do you really think that I would've sent you if I had known better? I know full well that you can't handle people like that."

Trafalgar winced as he moved again, the tug of stitches in the shoulder and part of his back a painful reminder that he should have been more careful in any case, "I said, I don't care, Joker-ya. Leave me alone." And stay away, before the blond haired man confused him any more than he already was. Trafalgar was torn between wanting to harm the man nearby, and wanting him to have sex with him. Either way the dark haired man wanted to not have this conversation go any further. Before either of them brought up the past, which may or may not set them both off, depending on how far back they delved.

Doflamingo bristled as Trafalgar turned his head that the other way, ending the conversation on his end. Doflamingo realized that he had begun to move toward the bed, and what he was about to do, but found that he couldn't help it. He hated that the other man had dismissed him so casually when he had just essentially saved his miserable life. One of Doflamingo's hands shot out and flipped Trafalgar over onto his back, a little more harshly than he meant to, though he didn't feel bad when Trafalgar let out a cry of pain as his shoulder was jostled. It was partially the man's fault for being so closed minded. Doflamingo spotted the pain laden glance thrown his way, and he frowned down at Trafalgar in response, "I wasn't done talking with you."

Trafalgar stared at Doflamingo for moment, before he closed his eyes, and tried to will himself into ignoring the pain his shoulder and back were sending throughout his body, "I have nothing to say to you." Perhaps they were going to have that talk that Doflamingo had mentioned a week ago after all. The dark haired man wasn't in the mood for it. Not yet, anyway. Trafalgar winced when Doflamingo was suddenly on the bed, and crouching over him, using his arms and legs to pin him against the bed. Trafalgar held perfectly still, feeling breath on his throat as Doflamingo began to lay light kisses along his throat, though he didn't bite down, as he had before. Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut. He hated when Doflamingo acted like this. It was like there were still two people inside of the other man, one that wanted to torment him endlessly, and the other that wanted him to be with him, as he had been before they had had their falling out in the past. Trafalgar felt further torn, because he'd rather just have Doflamingo hate him, as he hated him, and not have the other man show him any concern, or what passed for it, for being injured, or him being gentle, as Trafalgar waited to be goaded into talking. Trafalgar didn't want to talk anymore, but figured he wouldn't have a choice in the matter if Doflamingo felt that they needed one.

Doflamingo scraped his teeth lightly along the side of Trafalgar's neck, feeling the dark haired man shiver beneath him, before he leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Something's been bothering you these past few weeks. I want to know what it is." Doflamingo let one hand trail down Trafalgar's bandaged shoulder, and down where his bare chested, as the people treating his wounds had cut the shirt off to reach the wound.

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's hand trail down further, past his side, until it settled against one of his hips. Trafalgar felt Doflamingo start to leave kisses along his collarbone, apparently awaiting an answer. Trafalgar took a deep breath, before he spoke, his voice shaking slightly, "Stop. Stop doing this. Stop acting like you care."

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as Trafalgar winced as Doflamingo squeezed his hip none too gently, the other man's voice was low and dangerous, "Don't be a fool. Stop acting like I did something terrible to you. Anything that I've done, you consented to. With a few exceptions, you only have yourself to blame. Even in the past."

Trafalgar stilled as he felt Doflamingo start to work his pants off again, slightly exasperated the blond continued to do this, but had to admit to himself that he didn't exactly protest this time around, nor any of the times in the past few weeks. It was more resignation on his part, to get things moving along, and Trafalgar hated to think that he had enjoyed it. The dark haired man swallowed roughly as Doflamingo pulled his pants off all of the way, "...It still doesn't excuse what you did before. In the past. "

Trafalgar shivered as Doflamingo began to absently trail his hands along, as the blond spoke absently, "You're the one who's the fool. No matter what I say or do, you're not going to change your mind, are you? Stop deluding yourself." Trafalgar let his head drop back with a small moan as Doflamingo rested over him closely, the older man's clothes a barrier from his own bare skin, which Trafalgar quickly tried to ignore and put from his mind. But his own body betrayed him, as he noticed that Doflamingo's lips quirked up into a fleeting smile, and spoke to him teasingly.

"And yet, even with all your protests, your body is still more honest than the rest of you." Doflamingo inched up and took his glasses off, dropping them onto the bed as he locked eyes with Trafalgar, "Since you're so adamant about not telling me anything, am I right in thinking that the reason for your relunctance is due to Kidd, as well as what happened when you were about to turn 24?"

Trafalgar stared up at Doflamingo dazedly, distracted with how close the older man was. Not trusting himself to speak, Trafalgar merely nodded.

Doflamingo should've known. It was something he'd been wondering about. It was the major thing that he could think of that might cause Trafalgar to act this way. Doflamingo should have realized it sooner, as it coincided with around the time they had their falling out. Perhaps a few weeks after the event. Trafalgar had likely found out about it soon after, and had decided that it wasn't worth the effort to go and find him right away. "I didn't realize that you felt that way. Is that what all the anger is for? For what happened back then? Even though you weren't really part of it?"

"It still happened, and you knew how I felt, but you still went through with it anyway. I'm never forgiving you, no matter what you do or say." Trafalgar glared at Doflamingo, who had started laughing at him.

"You don't even know the whole story behind it. If you did, I highly doubt all this spite would be directed at me. Why, you might even want me, even though I took care of your red haired lover a few weeks ago." Doflamingo smirked at the dirty look Trafalgar gave him, as he scooped Trafalgar up off the bed to rest him against his chest, "...and you wouldn't be difficult like this."

"I highly doubt it." Trafalgar said sarcastically, even as he wrapped his arms around Doflamingo's neck, and nipped the skin there, "And in case you've forgotten, tonight I almost got killed because you didn't get your information right?" The painful reminder of his wounded shoulder wouldn't let Trafalgar forget any time soon.

Doflamingo grinned amusedly as he held tight to Trafalgar, "That's not it. What happened back then is the problem here, isn't it?"

Trafalgar wasn't ready to go revisit the past tonight. He was hurt and tired. With a bit of a bite to his tone, Trafalgar bit the side of Doflamingo's neck harder, "Just fuck me already, and let me sleep. It's obvious that's what you want. I don't think you even care how I feel about what happened years ago anyway." Trafalgar let out a surprised gasp as Doflamingo let go of him altogether, and the dark haired man collapsed on the bed, wincing as is wounds were jostled. Before the pain could even register in his mind, Trafalgar flinched as one of Doflamingo's hands slapped across his face, hard. Trafalgar bit his lip, and went completely still, wondering if there would be any more. It was only when a second slap failed to fall that Trafalgar realized that Doflamingo had slid off the bed completely. Trafalgar was honestly surprised to hear the barely controlled wrath in the other man's voice when he spoke curtly.

"You really are fool, Law."

Trafalgar reached up to gingerly touch the cheek that had been slapped, as he dimly heard the door slam shut, signaling Doflamingo's departure. Trafalgar turned over onto his stomach, tugging the sheets back up over his body with his right hand. He was confused. He'd been sure that Doflamingo was just trying to entice him into sex again, but apparently, but hadn't been the case.

He fell into an uneasy sleep. Just what was it in the past that Doflamingo thought he had misinterpreted?

-x-

Outside of the room, Doflamingo stopped in the hallway, fury rising within him at the way Trafalgar continually acted nonchalantly and rudely to him. Sure, he wasn't completely concerned with Trafalgar's well-being, but when he tried to show some concern, among other things, Trafalgar shot him down as quickly as he could. Doflamingo was fairly certain that Trafalgar had misinterpreted things that happened in the past, and look forward to seeing the other man's face when he realized the truth. That all this anger was misplaced, and he would lose any potential relationship he could have with the blond again. Not that Trafalgar would have, but Doflamingo could always hope. Perhaps he would win him back, and then crush him by betraying him as he had in the past.

Doflamingo was done trying to work around Trafalgar's weird obsessions and mistrust. He would have to change the way he went about things, it seemed. In his mind, Doflamingo apologized to Law, because what he had in mind was going to more than likely ruin the man's just earned reputation as a surgeon. But he would make it up to him, once he was through with Trafalgar.

-x-

It almost seemed like the night Trafalgar had been wounded had been the last straw for Doflamingo, who, after opening himself to the dark haired man, however minimally, had found himself insulted by the other man's biting words.

As soon as Trafalgar had recovered, the dark haired man found himself pushed hard by the older man in his act as the surgeon of death, as well as in bed, where Doflamingo wasn't as accommodating as he had been before. Trafalgar had been pressed so hard that the dark haired man was constantly exhausted, and with that lack of sleep, soon felt as though he was starting to lose his grip on reality. Every passing day in the following weeks he felt more out of touch with reality.

Whether from lack of sleep, or the fact that Doflamingo would confuse him with his words, or after particularly difficult mission where he would sometimes become injured, would be forced to endure a lecture of some sort.

Ans the sex seemed never ending, even if Doflamingo did take pit yon him whenever he was injured.

Soon enough, the exhaustion and confusion blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. It was as confusing as when Trafalgar had been around Kidd's house as a ghost, knowing that he was dead yet still unable to quite let go of the world around him.

Things started to become so bad that in the hallucinations, Trafalgar would kill people without a second's thought, and when he came out of it, he merely found himself in bed with Doflamingo, and the larger man's body would usually end up against his, either asleep, or ready to torment him with some mind game or the dangerous, treacherous words as he drew Trafalgar into sex.

While there seemed to be some concern over him when he became injured, Trafalgar wasn't sure whether the other man meant it or not. Especially now, with how befuddled he was becoming with him being short on sleep.

Trafalgar closed his eyes as he felt Doflamingo's lips against his, but knew that he'd eventually get to try and kill the blond, even if it ended up that the blond would kill him instead. Trafalgar turned to allow Doflamingo easier access to his throat, still hating himself that he had automatically been doing this the past few weeks. Especially when he heard and felt Doflamingo chuckled against the skin. Trafalgar ignored the sound, thinking instead about all the money he'd spent of Doflamingo's to set up a perfect place to kill the older man. He felt justified in it now, as Doflamingo was back to tormenting him, instead of trying to get on his good side for some reason or another.

The dark haired man wanted to make use of the warehouse before he died, and when, and if, he did, Trafalgar could only hope that he would be able to go wherever Kidd was now.

-x-

Trafalgar grew more concerned as the hallucinations grew so far into his reality, until finally, Trafalgar broke out of it, and realized that he was holding a blade, and that he had no idea where he was, other than the fact that he was truly awake this time. The dark haired man looked around, and noted with a hint of horror that there were bodies all around him, littering the ground, and he actually recognized a few of them, though he doubted the that they were the same people he'd known in the past. Trafalgar dropped the blade he holding, and held his hands up before his eyes, unseeing as his thoughts drifted. Most of the past few weeks were a blur, and he had no idea why. Trafalgar studied his bloodied hands silently. Ordinarily, it wouldn't bother him so much, but the fact that he had been so out of it for day and days made him suspicious. Perhaps Doflamingo was giving him more than just the drug once a week to keep the other Law that was in his mind at bay?

Trafalgar swayed on the spot as he realized just how exhausted his body was, and sunk to the ground slowly. He dimly heard the sirens from the police cars, and realized some of the truth of what had been happening to him past...couple of weeks a month? A month and a half? Trafalgar wasn't sure. He had lost track of time. Trafalgar fell the rest of the way over onto the ground, heedless of the blood and bodies that were there. Trafalgar decided that he must have blacked out, because the next thing he knew there were cuffs settling around his wrists, and he was being forced up to his feet amidst sirens from the police cars. Trafalgar walked readily enough, noticing that the media being held at knew one thing in that moment. Fury.

Doflamingo had to have drugged him. Perhaps after the first time he'd been injured. The older man had certainly been upset with him at that point. Turning him away as he had. It was the only explanation that Trafalgar had to explain what had been happening. It seemed that the older man had never intended to let him have his revenge after all. Doflamingo had merely placated him by think letting him think that he would and had allowed him to set up a place of his own choosing.

Trafalgar didn't care whether anything the blond had told him had been sincere or not. In that moment, he knew Doflamingo had given him his answer, and the go ahead to move things along. If he could. Trafalgar knew that he should have known better, but he he'd fooled, and easily at that. He had walked straight into a trap, one that he should have seen coming.

Trafalgar winced as he was forced into the back of a cop car. The dark haired man had enough presence of mind to turn his head away from the flashing lights of the photographers trying to send pictures of him. If nothing else, Trafalgar would spite Doflamingo by not letting Law's picture be taken. As the car pulled away, and the flashes of cameras faded, Trafalgar rested his head against the back seat of the car and let out a low sigh. There was no escape now. He finally figured out what Doflamingo had been doing, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Trafalgar was trapped, and there would be no escape, as there was no one that could help him.


	35. Lost and Found

Eustass was not at all pleased with Kidd.

The constant going back and forth of control over his body was really starting to get on his nerves. Kidd wasn't helping things, because most of the time the spirit chose to talk about Trafalgar. And that particular topic was something that Eustass was getting tired of hearing, especially when there was no escape from Kidd's voice inside of his head.

The only good thing that had come from being injured and the time spent in recovery was that Kidd hadn't been able to have enough energy to possess Eustass' body for extended periods of time. When Kidd did manage to win one of their inward mental struggles, and attempted to leave the room in Eustass' body, Killer was there to discourage him. Either through force or threat, which Kidd never took well.

The first time Kidd had managed to get out of the room, before Killer desecended on him and manhandled him back into bed.

The second time Kidd had managed to get all the way out of the apartment, and into the hall, but was foiled when he accidently pulled the stitches in his arm, causing the wound to bleed. Kidd had returned to the apartment quietly that time when Eustass' roommate came to bring him back. Kidd knew that, even though Killer wasn't as he had known him in the past, the long haired blond was similar enough that Kidd knew he'd annoyed him. And believed Killer's none too subtle threat to tie him to the bed if he must to let his wounds heal.

Kidd had attempted to escape a few more times in order to go look for Trafalgar the following weeks, but every time the attempts were stopped short by Killer, or some other occupant of the apartment complex. The red head pointedly ignored a few of the times when Eustass' laugh would echo in his mind after another failed attempt to leave. Kidd decided that after the time Killer had actually followed through on his threat and tied him to the bed, that perhaps waiting for Eustass' body to heal all the way was the best course of action. Even if Kidd hated the wait.

-x-

Eustass closed his eyes, trying very hard not to start scolding the spirit inside of his head out loud. He'd done it a few times, and it had drawn funny looks from Bartolomeo, as well as questions from Killer. Eustass had managed to get them to only visit him occasionally, mainly when he needed to eat, as Eustass had realized in the past few weeks that Kidd drew more energy from them than he did Eustass himself. Eustass figured that meant that Kidd tried not to drain any energy from him, and assumed it was because he didn't want Eustass to be worn out when he attempted to take over his body again. For now, Kidd seemed to be intent on talking him to death. Or at least, talk him into an annoyed state that Eustass actually began arguing with the spirit.

_'Hey, are you listening to me? You ain't tied to the bed anymore, you know.'_

With a scowl, Eustass spoke aloud, though quietly, so that Killer, in the next room, wouldn't hear, "I know that, and I don't care, cause I'm not going anywhere."

_'Fuck you. As soon as I have enough energy, I'm gonna go look for Trafalgar.'_

"Good luck with that." Eustass really wanted Marco to just force the son of a bitch out of his mind, but he didn't want to find out if that would cause any adverse effects on him.

_'Just you wait. I'm gonna do it soon.'_

Eustass didn't put much faith in that little threat, as Kidd had been saying that for the past week, and he hadn't yet followed through on it, "Quiet down, would you? I'd rather hear my own thoughts then  _you_." Eustass was pleased to hear a huff of offense, before he was distracted by Killer entering the room.

"Have you seen the news today?"

Eustass refrained from telling Killer that he hadn't due to an annoying spirit in his head that wouldn't leave him alone, "Not yet." As soon as Killer turned on the TV, and Eustass saw what was happening, he cursed under his breath. He felt Kidd go quiet in his mind, and knew from the silence that followed that the red headed spirit was glued to everything that was being said by the news reporter. Eustass didn't realize that he was about to lose complete control over his body once more, and would for a while longer, as Kidd's emotions got the better of him, and he found the strength to do what he could with what little energy he had.

Kidd was beside himself with rage the longer the person on the screen spoke. He knew what they were talking about, and who it was that had to be responsible. He just couldn't believe that Doflamingo would be foolish enough to allow such a thing to happen. He had to go. Kidd needed to get out of this apartment. He had to get to Trafalgar, before Doflamingo whisked him out of his reach for good.

Eustass wasn't prepared for how much Kidd surged up in his mind, and because of the surprise of how strong Kidd's presence was, Eustass was only able to put up a brief struggle before Kidd had complete control over the body again.

Kidd, as soon as he adjusted to being in control of a living body once more, felt his whole body going rigid as he stared intently at the TV, as the news reporter finished up the story he'd been listening to, that had caused his anger to surge.

"…  _There isn't much known at this time, other than the crime resembles the documented cases of the Surgeon of Death from the past, who had been active in this area of the city over 100 years ago. The authorities believe that this is the work of someone who has studied the previous killer's activities, but word has yet to get out of who the perpetrator is."_

A picture of a building was shown, before being cut back to the reporter.

" _A man was arrested a short time ago inside the building we are standing outside of right now, where the latest murder occurred, and initial reports indicate multiple fatalities. The suspect in question is being held at the hospital for further questioning, and the police are asking that everyone stay away, while they handle this investigation. In other news…"_

Kidd immediately knew that it had to be Trafalgar's doing, and that he wouldn't just do it on his own. Just like Kidd had suspected before. Doflamingo had to be behind it. Kidd shifted, checking his arm and abdomen, and hoped the bullet wounds had healed enough in the past month and a half that he had full range of motion of his limbs. Most of the bandages had been gone for a week and a half, and things appeared to be working just fine. Kidd ignored Eustass' mental protestations, and focused on getting out of bed the rest of the way. Just as Kidd was about a slide out of bed, Killer intercepted him and shoved him back down. Kidd glared up at Killer. The blond wasn't going to stop him this time, as he had all the others, "I'm leaving."

Had Killer's eyebrows had been visible, they would've been raised in mock interest, "How are you feeling?" Killer figured the red head should be able to move around by now, as the wounds had enough time to heal over that he shouldn't have any problems. Killer just didn't know why Eustass suddenly had to go now. It was…a little odd. In fact, ever since he'd been shot, Killer thought that Eustass was a bit more jumpy and suspicious than usual. then again, being shot could have brought that on, though Killer wasn't sure how to explain what sounded like Eustass arguing with himself over the past few weeks.

"I feel fine. I need to get to the hospital before Doflamingo does. The guy they arrested, it has to be Trafalgar. I need to go there now, otherwise I'll never be able to get to him." Kidd wasn't sure how to communicate to Killer that this was very important to him. Had it been the Killer he had known in the past, he wouldn't have really needed to say anymore. He would've understood.

There was a moment of silence, before Killer spoke, "And why should you care about what will happen to him?"

Kidd narrowed his eyes at Killer, "Because I happen to know him, and right now, I'm not the Eustass that you know. I'm a spirit that's possessing his body, because he looks like me when I was alive over hundred years ago." There was no point in lying, as he was trying to justify why he needed to go now. Kidd didn't care if he sounded crazy or not. He just wanted to go, and go now.

Killer sighed. He had to wonder if there was some kind neurological damage as well, if Eustass was starting to talk about spirits like that, "I don't think I should let you leave. You're obviously hallucinating."

Kidd sat up in bed again, and growled dangerously, "I'll go on my own. Don't try to stop me."

Killer shook his head and stepped forward, checking the only remaining bandages around Kidd's body, the ones on his abdomen. The bandages that had covered his face and arm had been taken off two weeks ago. Killer tested the skin, and only drew forth a faint flinch. Killer sighed again, and doubted that he could talk Eustass out of anything, no matter how hard he tried once the red head set his mind on something, "I suppose I'll have to go along with you to make sure you don't do something stupid. There are cops at the hospital, and you can't afford to get arrested again."

When Kidd didn't protest, Killer help helped him out of bed and only had to assist him with buttoning with his shirt, before Kidd waved him off. The red head was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, even when he wasn't feeling completely well. Kidd picked up the dagger that was lying on the nearby dresser, and, after making sure that the weapon was sheathed beneath his jacket that he'd just thrown on, Kidd left the room.

Killer followed, digging out a cell phone to make a call, "I'm going to call Wire and Heat. At least wait until they get here before you go off on a suicide run. I'd rather try to keep you alive, even if you're doing something that is obviously stupid." Killer had to wonder what was going on in he red haired man's mind, but wasn't about to question him any further, as his roommate was weird, and he had learned years ago to not delve too deeply into the way his friend's mind worked.

Kidd made an irritable jerk of his head, pausing in the hallway as Killer made a few calls. It was likely to be a brief wait. So long as Kidd could get to the hospital in time, extra help would be useful in distracting the cops, and perhaps Doflamingo. Kidd tried and failed to block out Eustass' voice, but couldn't quite do it, as the other man was displeased with what he had planned.

_'I can't believe Killer is just going along with this. What the fuck is he thinking?'_

Kidd smiled briefly, and turned away from Killer as he muttered under his breath in response, "Maybe he figures that you're trying to shake Trafalgar up for money he owes you or something." Kidd heard Eustass let out a brief laugh.

_'Like he'd care if that was the case. He'd probably even help me, to make sure I didn't end up killing him.'_

"You mugged someone and killed them?" Kidd questioned interestedly, "Then breaking into a hospital with all of those cops should be fun, right?" Kidd ended up grinning at the annoyance in Eustass' voice.

_'I_ almost _killed them, but Killer stopped me since it was close to where we were living at the time. Bastard would've deserved to die though, for makin' fun of me before I mugged his sorry ass.'_

Kidd would have liked to question Eustass further, but he noticed that Killer had hung up his phone, and had pocketed it. With a smirk, Kidd muttered to Eustass, "Try to not make too much of a fuss when I find Trafalgar."

Eustass heard the tone, and let out an exasperated, disembodied sigh,  _'...Seriously, I don't know why the hell the two of you are so damn horny. I can't even block it out when you start making out.'_

"What, you don't like to watch?" Kidd laughed as Eustass' swatted him mentally, and was relieved that the other man had fallen silent as Killer came up next to him.

"Something funny?"

Kidd shrugged his shoulders, "Just thinking about how many people are going to try and get a look in the hospital before they get booted out."

Killer studied his red haired roommate silently for a moment, before he spoke, "Wire and Heat should be here in about fifteen minutes. We'll meet them outside of the apartment. It sounds like the guy you're looking for is at the hospital where Sabo and Ace are staying. I remembered the name of the hospital, because Marco had mentioned it when he stopped by a few weeks ago." Killer saw the questioning look Kidd threw him, and rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "The cops want to question Ace, and Ace wanted to visit Sabo. He's still in the hospital under observation. Apparently, he had a pretty nasty wound that needed more treatment to put right."

Kidd hid a smirk, knowing why Sabo was still in the hospital, and felt no remorse whatsoever for what he had done to the wavy haired blond. It served him right for trying to interrupt his reunion with Trafalgar in the cellar of his house. Kidd started to walk, heading for the apartment door to leave. He couldn't care less about those two brats, as he was far more concerned about what was going on with Trafalgar. As he and Killer exited the apartment, neither of them noticed that Bartolomeo had followed after them, as soon as he had heard the names Ace and Sabo.

-x-

Trafalgar's mind was still trying to process what had just happened to him. He had more or less come out of his daze, and was now silently standing, and waiting for the cops to stop arguing over where he was going to be kept. Something about wanting to get some answers, and that they didn't want the dark haired man to escape now that they had caught him in the act.

Trafalgar didn't protest when he was led into a small room. The dark haired man sat down in the chair indicated, and didn't even react when his handcuffed wrists were cuffed to the back of the chair. Trafalgar didn't care as he glanced around the small room, with the table and another chair across from where he was seated. It looked like some kind of break room. Windowless. One way in, one way out. Trafalgar closed his eyes as he heard the cops file out. Heard them murmur something just outside the door, before the dark haired doctor heard footsteps approach, and the door close. Trafalgar didn't bother to open his eyes until he heard the person that had entered take a seat, and speak in a disbelieving tone.

"I can't believe I let those kids stay in a house with a murderer."

Trafalgar's eyes slit open at that, and he eyed the man across from him, searching his mind for a name, and labeling the scarred cop before him as Garp. Trafalgar gave the other man a dour, unimpressed look as he spoke, "Lucky for them that it wasn't actually me in the house with them at the time."

Garp was silent as he stared at Trafalgar. Something seemed...off about the other man. As if he were a different person. Garp shook his head, "Don't try and deny it. We have the weapon at the lab for testing, and you were covered in blood."

Trafalgar smirked at that, because he was still covered with blood, except for the clothes that he'd been forced to change into, "I never denied that I was the one that killed all those people the past few weeks. I was merely telling you that I'm not the same man that was renting the house with those two brats." Trafalgar was amused. It seemed like he was confusing Garp, and that was fine with him. He needed to find some way to make this not seem as bad as it was. Trafalgar didn't want things to go smoothly for Doflamingo, if the blond haired man decided to show up at the hospital.

"...you have a twin?"

Trafalgar's smile widened at that. He could hear the doubt, even as the words were spoken, "You could say that." Noting the look of frustration pass across Garp's face, Trafaglar decided that he was going to have some fun after all.

For as long as it would last.

-x-

A few hours had passed since Garp had begun his interrogation of Trafalgar, and since he had gotten nowhere with the man, decided to put it off until the next day. Trafalgar was decidedly unstable, so Garp supposed he'd have to have someone evaluate the man as well. Garp handed Trafalgar off to two other cops, and nodded to them, "Take him to the room we set aside. Make sure he isn't able to cause any more trouble."

Trafalgar went alone quietly enough, but couldn't help but chuckle darkly to himself. Things were certainly going to go downhill from then on. There was no way he could see himself getting out of this easily, and knew that was what Doflamingo had hoped for.

Garp watched the other cops lead Trafalgar away, before he headed for the room where Ace and Sabo were. He had some serious questions for his grandson, as he wanted to see if Trafaglar had ever given any indication that he was the kind of person to go around assassinating people for no apparent reason.

-x-

Trafalgar was uncertain for how long he'd been alone. As soon as the other two cops had uncuffed him and wrestled him onto a bed, and strapped him down securely, he had been left alone. Trafalgar ignored the window in the room as soon as it was clear that he could not escape from the straps holding him down. The window was obviously Doflamingo's idea of taunting him with a chance of freedom when he knew that the dark haired man had no hope of escaping.

Trafalgar heard the door open, and didn't need to look to know who it would be. He knew. He had just thought that the older man would have come sooner to gloat at him and make him feel even worse than he already felt. He already felt miserable enough that he had n hope of getting away from the mess he found himself in, and figured that Doflamingo perhaps there to offer him some kind of a deal as well as poke fun at him.

"Fufufufu. You don't seem to be very happy, Law."

Trafalgar leveled a glare at Doflamingo as the older man approached the bed, "And why do you think that is?"

Doflamingo's smile stretched, though his voice was obviously displeased, "You brought this down on yourself for being so damn stubborn."

"Because I wouldn't forgive and forget what you did in the past? That I'd actually want to be with you, and pretend like the past never happened? To forget what I lost?" Trafalgar studied Doflamingo silently for a moment, before his breath caught. So Doflamingo was there to torment him with that as well. It was not surprising to the dark haired man in the least, and he fixed his eyes on the other man, "You did, didn't you?"

Doflamingo lost his smile as he stared at Trafalgar silently, before he spoke, "Yes, I did." Doflamingo turned away, "But as you seem to like to say lately, it doesn't matter. I'll never know why you're so resistant to talking about the past, or why you still seem to hate me so much. I don't think I warrant as much as you seem to think I do." Doflamingo walked back toward the door, "But I will take the other Law back. He doesn't seem to be particularly hostile toward me. I'm undecided at the moment of whether I want to find you another body to possess, or just let your spirit wander around, unable to move on." Doflamingo's voice grew harsher, "To leave you to dwell on the past, and make false assumptions, even when you know that you can never bring back what was lost." Doflamingo left the room, his voice losing its edge and dropping to a barely there whisper, as if he were thinking about something, "No matter how much we both want that particular event to be undone."

Trafalgar shut his eyes as the door closed, but noted that it had not been shut as forcefully as Doflamingo had done, weeks ago. The dark haired man let out a long sigh. Doflamingo knew. He knew what event it was in the past that was bothering him. But Trafalgar knew that neither of them would ever talk about it. The dark haired man had to wonder that, even if they had discussed it, if it would have changed anything. Trafalgar supposed that he would never know now.

-x-

Getting to the hospital was the easy part, in Kidd's mind. Getting inside the hospital to the floor where Trafalgar was being held without the cops noticing him would be much more difficult, and more so once Kidd got a good look at all of the police cars outside of the hospital.

Wire and Heat had met Killer and Kidd at the apartment and after a brief conversation, had set off. Sticking to the shadowed areas of the building next to the hospital, all four men snuck around to the back of the hospital, where there was not as much of a police presence. Heat had found one of the back doors to the hospital to be slightly ajar, as some careless employee reentering the building must have not shut it securely. Once inside, the small group made its way to a nearby stairwell and entered it, just in time to be lost from sight from a couple of cops walking by. No one made a sound until the cops had gone further down the hall, but Kidd figured that they had at least learned one useful bit of information. Which floor Trafalgar was on. Police gossiping was a new thing to Kidd, but he appreciated them making this easier for him.

The third floor. To Kidd, it seemed that not being on the first floor was only because it would discourage Trafalgar from making an escape attempt, if they didn't already restrain him to prevent that option in the first place.

Killer poked his head out the door of the third floot stairwell once they reached it, and looked around before ducking back inside, and turning to the others, "He's on this floor, all right. It's crawling with cops." Killer turned to Kidd, "You wait here. Wire, Heat and I will draw their attention away, and you can go get this Trafalgar. But be careful. I don't think that the cops would think twice to open fire on someone trying to help a suspect escape after they just murdered a bunch of people in cold blood." Killer saw Kidd nod his head, and the long haired blond decided that as soon as this was over, he was going to question his friend, and especially over this sudden decision to go help a suspected criminal. Eustass was not the kind of person to risk his life for someone else, especially if it seemed hopeless.

Killer, Wire, and Heat left the stairwell while Kidd remained behind, until he heard cops shouting and a lot of footsteps pass by where he was hiding. Kidd waited a moment until the silence had fallen, and exited the stairwell. Kidd made his way along the hall, peering at each room as he passed by, hoping that he would be able to run across Trafalgar before the cops realized what was going on. Kidd almost walked by a hospital room, when he doubled back, realizing that Trafalgar was in the room. After making sure that there was no one else in the room, as there should have been, if they thought he had killed some people, Kidd went into the room. After making certain there wasn't anyone else, Kidd shut the door to the room, and stuck a chair beneath the doorknob. It would make it a little bit difficult for the cops to get in but not impossible. It would give Kidd enough time to get away. He hoped.

Kidd made his way slowly toward Trafalgar, who was lying on the bed, and as the red head drew closer, he noticed that the dark haired man was strapped down to the bed to prevent him from trying to flee. That answered one of his questions for why the man was on the third floor instead of higher up. Kidd loosened the straps and removed them, before he carefully picked the dark haired man up, one arm going beneath Trafalgar's knees, while the other went around his back. Kidd cradled Trafalgar against his chest, and as he stared down at him, Kidd realized that, for the first time, the other man appeared to be fragile. Kidd didn't like it.  _His_  Law wasn't so quiet and compliant. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "...Trafalgar?" Kidd questioned hesitantly, hoping that it was really Trafalgar, and not his doppelganger.

Trafalgar dazedly opened his eyes to look at Kidd, and, noticing the way that he was being held, as well as the fact that Kidd was there in the first place, half smiled, "Am I dead?" Seeing the confused expression on his lover's face, Trafalgar elaborated, "Doflamingo never intended to let me have my revenge, so I have to be dead, otherwise I wouldn't be seeing you now."

"Revenge for what?" Kidd furrowed his brow, even more confused now. What was Trafalgar talking about?

"Killing you in that apartment." Traflagar responded, staring up at Kidd as if he couldn't believe his eyes that the red haired man was there, and holding him. It almost seemed like a joke, and he really hoped that this wasn't Kidd's body double messing with his mind again.

Kidd frowned at the man he was holding, "Trafalgar…He only shot me in the hall twice before he led you away. Some guy that knew the other me got me out of there. The long haired blond? Killer? Remember him from earlier?"

Trafalgar seemed to become more aware as he shakily lifted a hand rest to rest against Kidd's cheek. He smiled when Kidd leaned in to the touch, and Trafalgar studied the scars on his face, pleased that they looked as they had on his previous body. He had to wonder if the other Eustass was still inside him or not. Perhaps he'd ask him later. If he got the chance. The situation they were in, and the fact that Kidd was alive and well hit Trafalgar hard. Doflamingo being ambiguous about killing Kidd, the way he brought it up whenever he could to break him down whenever they would get into an argument. Trafalgar's hand dropped down his lap as he leaned in and buried his face against Kidd's jacket, voice muffled as he spoke, "Joker-ya kept saying that he killed you. That I would never see you again."

Kidd shifted his hold on Trafalgar, wondering why that would upset the dark haired man so much to never see him again. But Kidd knew. He's known even before the two of them had died in the past that their relationship had become more than just late night romps in the bedroom. For some reason, neither of them had wanted to ever truly admit it, and Kidd had an inkling that Doflamingo was partially to blame, because he knew that Trafalgar loved to tease him about his feelings. Kidd felt Trafalgar's breath against his neck, and subconsciously held him closer. The red head felt that he needed to protect his lover better from Doflamingo, and anyone else that wanted to hurt him. Kidd struggled with himself for a moment, but when he noticed the dark haired man shaking slightly, ended up speaking more softly than he normally would have with Trafalgar, "He didn't kill me." Kidd tightened his hold further, "I'm here, and I'm not going to go anywhere."

Trafalgar fisted one of his hands into Kidd's jacket, unable to prevent his voice from cracking as he choked out a few words, "Don't get sappy on me, Eustass-ya." Dammit, Kidd really knew how to get through to him, despite the man usually being so dense most of the time.

Kidd heard the loss of control in his lover's voice when he'd spoken, and wondered what the hell had happened when they'd been apart to cause such a response, when they hadn't been away from one another for nearly as long as they been when they had died. Kidd closed his eyes for a moment, before he started toward the window in the room, his voice rough as he responded , "You already are sappy, idiot, acting like this." Kidd paused, before he added, with a faint smile, "And you're already clinging to me like I'm gonna vanish."

Trafalgar pressed himself closer to Kidd, not saying a word, as he didn't trust himself at the moment. He'd tease the other man later, as soon as he sorted out all of his conflicted feelings.

"See? Clingy." Kidd commented, amused.

The dark haired man lightly smacked Kidd's shoulder, "Bastard."

Kidd nuzzled the top of Trafalgar's head with his chin as he grinned at that and responded automatically, "Love you too, you son of a bitch."

Trafalgar leaned up to kiss Kidd briefly, before he buried his face against the red head's chest again. He didn't want the other man to see him, as he more than likely had teared up, more in relief than anything, and perhaps from the after effects of whatever drug Doflamingo had used on him wore off. Trafalgar stilled as he thought about what had just been said, and realized with a start that that was the first time Kidd had ever directly stated that he loved him. Trafalgar knew that he had said it all the time in the past, and Kidd would normally respond with a flustered 'you too', like he wasn't sure whether Trafalgar actually meant it or not, but liked it all the same. The words affected Trafalgar more than he thought they would, and anything that he might have wanted to say was forgotten for the moment. Instead, when Trafalgar was sure that that he could speak, and not be obvious emotional turmoil, questioned Kidd, "Where are we going?"

"Out the window." Kidd said simply as he paused in front of the object in question.

Trafalgar looped his right arm over Kidd's shoulder, around the back of his neck, and let his left hand fist into Kidd's jacket more tightly. The dark haired man felt more relief sweep over him, as this meant that he was going to get to escape after all. He wouldn't have to think about what was going to happen to him, because Kidd had come to help him after all. Trafalgar briefly scowled, as this meant that Doflamingo had tricked him into believing his words. The blond haired man must have felt so smug when he'd told Trafalgar of Kidd's apparent demise. Trafalgar liked to think that Doflamingo was greatly disappointed that someone had helped Kidd escape from right under his nose.

Kidd maneuvered Trafalgar to open the window, and shoved it wide, before the hand went back to holding Traflagar.

"I can walk." Trafalgar said, though he was entertained by the notion of Kidd carting him around. But it irked him, because it meant that the red heaired man didn't think he could make it out on his own two feet.

"Sure you can, but I wanna hold you anyway. You aren't that heavy." The red head nuzzled the side of Trafalgar's neck, "Besides, I haven't been able to hold you for weeks, and I wanna bug the hell out of my doppelganger."

"So he's still in there with you? Did he...!" Trafalgar wasn't able to question Kidd further, because the red head had decided that standing in front of an open window was the perfect time to sneak in another kiss. Trafalgar indulged in the kiss, before he shoved a hand against Kidd's shoulder, and spoke, slightly breathless, "Who's the idiot now? In case you've already forgotten, there are cops everywhere, and Doflamingo is lurking around somewhere nearby."

"I just wanted to bother the other me. Apparently, he doesn't like to watch when we make out." Kidd was tempted to do just that, but was drawn out his lusty thoughts by Trafalgar pinching his cheek. Kidd waved the other man's hand away, glowering at him, "What the fuck was that for?"

Trafalgar smiled briefly at the hurt look, before he grew serious, "We need to go."

The door handle rattled, but the chair prevented the door from being opened all of the way.

"Now, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar urged, when the cops outside the room realized that something was different.

Kidd didn't argue. He went out the window, and was immensely relieved that there was a catwalk there. He wasn't even sure why a hospital had one in the first place, but didn't stop to dwell on it as he started to make his way down, still carrying Trafalgar. Kidd heard shouts start to come from behind, and moved more quickly when he heard Doflamingo's voice amongst them.

"Don't worry, I'll go get them. I'll bring them back."

Trafalgar couldn't help it as he ended up biting back a whimper when heard the vicious bite in the blond haired man's voice. The dark haired man's memory of Doflamingo and his poisoned words were fresher in his mind than he would've liked, especially this close to Kidd. Kidd…Trafalgar pressed closer his red haired lover, and couldn't hold back the tears that he'd desperately been trying to prevent. Here was Kidd, alive, and risking his life and Eustass' by coming to help him. Trafalgar heard the door break down overhead, and knew that Doflamingo would soon catch up with them. They had to get away.

Trafalgar felt Kidd instinctively hold him closer, protectively, as if he would be able to keep Doflamingo from taking him away again. Trafalgar appreciated the gesture, but knew that if Doflamingo caught them out in the open like this, Kidd wouldn't be able to prevent the other man from taking him back if that was Doflamingo's intent.

Kidd started to make his way down the catwalk's ladders, and began to descend as fast as he could, with his dark haired lover in his arms. Kidd felt the other man tremble against him, and the red haired man's amber eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right, but he would wait to ask until they were out of immediate danger. Right now, he couldn't get the image of Doflamingo coming down after them with that eerie grin of his. Kidd took a deep breath and let it out, "Hold on. I'm gonna jump when we're closer to the ground."

Trafalgar did as asked, though he didn't feel that he deserved such treatment. Not after all of the things he'd held back from the red head. All of things he should have have told him, but didn't. He was a terrible person, and didn't think that Kidd would want to be with him if he ever told him the whole truth. Everything from his past, his past with Doflamingo, and why he felt the need to distance himself from everyone in the past, and why he was nearly always with Kidd those last two years before the two of them had been killed at Kidd's house. Trafalgar's mind was filled with Doflamingo's sly taunts and comments that Kidd would have had nothing to do with him if he had known everything that had happened.

Kidd growled something unintelligible when he noticed that the collar of his shirt and part of his neck were starting to become damp. Kidd felt the other man's breath against his throat, as Trafalgar took in shuddering breaths as he tried to keep silent, or so it seemed to the red head. Then Kidd realized what was going on. Fuck, Trafalgar was crying. He never cried. What the fuck had that blond haired bastard done to his lover? Kidd forced himself to move more quickly, down the catwalk stairs and down further, and jumped when he got close enough to the ground. Kidd landed from higher up than he intended to, cursed, but kept on going. Kidd broke into a run, despite the pain he felt in his legs, muttering distractedly, "Damn, where can we go?"

Trafalgar looked around before he spoke, his voice strangely calm, "Turn right at the light up ahead."

"… All that's down that way is an abandoned warehouse, and lots of other warehouses." Kidd peeked out of the corner of his eye, and saw that while Trafalgar's eyes were slightly reddened from crying, a crazed gleam had appeared in them, coupled with a dark smile.

"I know that. Just go where I tell you to." Trafalgar offered a twisted smile to Kidd, "I found the perfect place to deal with my enemies." Trafalgar decided that he needed to focus on the present, as dwelling on the past too much wouldn't be good for either himself or Kidd. And the dark haired man didn't want to do anything that might cause Kidd to leave him. Especially now that he knew how Kidd felt, "Want to help me hunt down a...flamingo?"

Kidd matched his lover's expression with a twisted grin of his own as he turned right at the light. He knew that Trafalgar was mostly all right, if the look his lover had given him was any indication. Kidd laughed and locked Trafalgar in another kiss, and even though he got a swat to the head, he laughed again as he answered the dark haired man's question with one of his own, "Do you even have to ask?" Kidd was pleased when Trafalgar reached up and drew him into another kiss, even if it did slow him down a bit.

Trafalgar settled back in Kidd's arms comfortably as a teasing smile crossed his features, "Hurry up, before Joker-ya cuts us off."

"As soon as we find a safe spot, I am going to get you, you damn tease." Kidd grumbled as he jogged along the sidewalk, aware of Trafalgar's hands inching along his chest and arms, before twining around the back of his neck again.

Trafalgar smirked, "Oh, there is, but I might 'get' you first, Eustass-ya."

Kidd smirked as well, as he caught sight of the warehouses up ahead, "We'll see when we get there."

Inside Kidd's head, Eustass nearly groaned at all that he had witnessed, and wondered if there was any chance of falling asleep to ignore what was going to happen in the near future. He could tell that all of the light touches from Trafalgar was getting to Kidd, and Eustass really disliked that he could feel the aroused feeling that came with all of those touches, even though he wasn't in control of his body.

Eustass drifted around in the dark of his mind, plotting about what he was going to do the next time he saw Sabo and the others.

-x-

Doflamingo was not at all happy. He hadn't known that he would have to deal with Kidd again so soon. He'd been so sure that the gunshots would have at least crippled the damn red head enough to keep him out of the way for some time. The older man landed on the ground, and all but ignored the cops clamoring around above as he gestured to some of the people who had been waiting for him, "We're going." Doflamingo said shortly, as he led the small group along as he followed after the retreating figures of Kidd and Trafalgar. He knew where they were headed. Trafalgar at least knew that he would stand a better chance if he got to the warehouse where he'd spent his time setting up who knows what.

Doflamingo sensed something, and briefly glanced back the way he had come. The blond grinned. It was the black haired, freckled teen, as well as some green haired teen. Doflamingo's smile fell when he noticed a third join them. Marco. Doflamingo's grin hitched back into place. Now that was a face he hadn't seen for some time. It seemed like this night might be more interesting than he initially thought it would be. Doflamingo turned his attention back to Kidd and Trafalgar, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind his tinted glasses.

If it was a game the dark haired man wanted to play, Doflamingo was more than willing to go along with it, as he had one of his own to play in return.


	36. The Warehouse

Kidd reached the warehouses, and paused briefly in front of the nearest one, looking around. To him, all of the warehouses looked abandoned, and he hadn't any idea which one he should go to. Kidd glanced at Trafalgar out of the corner of his eye, "Where now?"

The dark haired man was silent for a moment, before responding, "Keep going straight, around this warehouse. It's the next one."

Kidd still wasn't exactly sure which warehouse Trafalgar meant, but passed by the one that he could see that was in front of him and slightly to his left, as Trafalgar had indicated. Kidd reached the back of the first warehouse, about to ask where to go next, when he turned his head and saw Trafalgar's eyes fixed on the next warehouse across the back lot of the first. Kidd assumed that that was the one, because the man he was carrying in his arms looked absurdly pleased with himself for some reason. Kidd smirked briefly. He was looking forward to seeing what Trafalgar had come up with. And Kidd quite liked the idea of being able to hunt Doflamingo down in a warehouse. Knowing Trafalgar, the other man must've come up with something very twisted.

Kidd was about to start to question his lover on what exactly he'd done to the warehouse, when he noticed that Trafalgar still appeared to be upset about something. At least, it seemed that way, as the other man wasn't even looking at him now. Or the warehouse, as he'd been just before. He was thinking about something, and whatever it was, Kidd didn't like it. He didn't want Trafalgar to wear such an expression. One that made it seem as if he'd done something wrong. Make it look as if he were hiding something. Kidd didn't like it, but didn't even know how to begin to go about fixing it. Well, he had some idea of what to do but wasn't sure how Trafalgar would react. Kidd smiled a bit. He would do it regardless, no matter what the response.

Trafalgar felt Kidd lean his head down to bump against his lightly. Trafalgar smiled faintly as he reached up and ran his hands through his lover's hair. Trafalgar smiled a bit more, unpleasant thoughts going to the back of his mind as Kidd moved his head slightly to start nuzzling the side of his head. The dark haired man resumed running his hands through the red hair before him, letting out an almost exasperated sigh, though his voice was far from it, "What are you doing?" He was fairly certain he'd told Kidd to not slow down, and that he could touch him all he liked once they were safely locked in a room inside of the warehouse.

In answer, Kidd titled his head to kiss the side of Trafalgar's jaw, before he kissed his way down to the other man's collarbone, lifting Trafalgar up in his arms to reach it more easily and breathed against the skin, "You're ignoring me and thinking about something." Kidd bit down with his teeth lightly, drawing forth a flinch, before he kissed the faint bite mark, and added, "So don't think so hard right now."

Trafalgar leaned his head back against Kidd's shoulder and smirked, "What could I possibly be thinking of while you're carrying me like this, Eustass-ya? Or are you saying that you don't want me to think because it means I don't have my attention on you?" The dark haired man turned his head so that he could meet Kidd in a kiss, and felt the other man's lips curve against his.

"No, that's not it. I just don't wanna see you look like someone died when I'm right here." Kidd bit Trafalgar's lower lip slightly before he gently bumped his head against Trafalgar's again lightly, and muttered near his ear reluctantly, "But yeah, I might start to feel neglected if you ignore me for too long."

Trafalgar smirked as he rested a hand over one of Kidd's that was feeling him up, "I can see the neglected part you mentioned is actually your dick." Trafalgar lifted his hand and cupped Kidd's jaw, turning it so that he could look his lover in the eye, "Why are you being so...cuddly? It's not like you." Not that he didn't like it. Trafalgar never minded it in the past when he'd woken up with a warm body curled around his and not in any hurry to move.

Kidd realized what he had been doing, knew he'd been doing it, but was still embarrassed. However, it had the desired effect, as Trafalgar didn't look as down as before, and spoke offhandedly to cover it up, "I haven't been around you for nearly long enough. I'll hold you until I feel like setting you down." Kidd was not going to use the word cuddle, or worse, snuggle. Both sounded very unthreatening and therefore Kidd didn't want it used to describe him. Even if he knew Trafalgar was going to tease him mercilessly with it at some point.

Trafalgar allowed Kidd to nuzzle him some more as he held him even closer. Kidd really was cute, which was something he knew the red head would vehemently deny. The dark haired man appreciated the distraction, however, and pressed himself against Kidd more heavily. As much as Trafalgar wanted to just stay like that, he knew that they needed to keep moving. Trafalgar had noticed that Kidd had all but stopped in his tracks to pay attention to him, and again the dark haired man was amused with the red head's antics. Trafalgar gave Kidd a peck on the cheek, "Get moving, Eustass-ya. Wait until we get into the warehouse. I'd rather not have Joker-ya show up now." Trafalgar eyed the warehouse silently as, after a disappointed grumble, Kidd started toward it again, still carrying him. The dark haired doctor reached up a hand to rest against Kidd's nearest shoulder to get his attention, "Go around to the back. The door there should be unlocked."

Kidd did his lover asked of him, and found the door after walking alongside the warehouse itself, marveling that it was quite a lot bigger than he had thought it would be. Plenty of room to allow Trafalgar's ideas to run wild and take shape. Kidd stepped up to the back door, and didn't look back, because he didn't even want to see if Doflamingo had managed to catch up with them. Kidd opened the door one handed, as he held Trafalgar in a one armed hold, leaning the other man up against him. Kidd slowly entered the darkness before him, and leaned back to shove the back door shut, until it clicked into place, locking it. Trafalgar didn't need to tell him to do that. He didn't want Doflamingo or one of his lackeys to just conveniently find an open door.

Kidd looked around the semi gloom, and at part of the warehouse floor that was visible, though he couldn't make out more than basic shapes. Kidd realized that Trafalgar had lifted a hand to point to the nearest corner, to the right of where they were standing.

It looked like a blank wall.

"Over there. There's a hidden door." Trafalgar smiled as Kidd walked in the indicated direction cautiously, acting as if he were going to trip or something.

Kidd ended up right in front of the blank looking wall, and honestly couldn't see how it was supposed to open. Kidd watched in silence as the dark haired man in his arms reached out and pressed a part of the wall at shoulder height, revealing a hidden doorway as a door swung open. Kidd grinned, and entered through the doorway, where he half turned to close the door behind them, until it slid shut again. "It's kinda like the one that was in my house in the cellar." Kidd commented.

"It was what I had in mind when I had it put in here. Go up the stairs." Trafalgar smiled as Kidd held still momentarily to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark, before he ascended the stairs, and emerged into a small room full of monitors, computers, and other high-tech items, as well as two comfy-looking armchairs.

Kidd let the dark haired man down slowly, as his head turned this way and that to take in the sights. Kidd was distracted when he heard what sounded like a door moving, and watched as Trafalgar closed them inside of the small room and locked the steel door. Kidd decided that he couldn't hold back any longer at the sight of his lover giving him a sly look over his shoulder. Kidd immediately moved forward and pinned Trafalgar up against the wall, grinning as he kissed the other man. Kidd slid his hands down to Trafalgar's hips, intent on getting the other man's clothing off, when he noticed that something was different. Trafalgar was just holding still and letting him do as he wanted. Kidd furrowed his brow as he tentatively licked Traflagar's lips. The other man allowed him entry easily enough and Kidd slipped in some tongue, but paused again as the off feeling grew. Trafalgar wasn't joining in the kiss at all either.

The red head broke the kiss and gave Trafalgar a confused look, searching the other man for an answer. Trafalgar, in return, wore an almost hesitant expression, as if he also realized something wasn't quite right either. Kidd didn't like it. That wasn't his Law at all. What the hell was wrong with him? He was never hesitant in this kind of thing, and almost always took the lead if Kidd didn't overpower him eventually. Trafalgar would always try and rip his clothes off of him if Kidd was doing the same, and the dark haired man would have been joining in the kiss in a feverish way, to see which one of them would dominate the other that particular time.

Kidd's eyes bored into Trafalgar's, as if he could get an answer that way. When there was nothing said, Kidd spoke, though in an annoyed tone, "What's wrong?"

Trafalgar realized what he was doing and knew that he had little chance of avoiding providing an answer. He'd started to act as if it were Doflamingo trying to make out with him, and not Kidd. He knew better. Trafalgar knew that Kidd enjoyed the two of them battling for dominance. Trafalgar reached forward, to try and bring Kidd back into a kiss, to do anything, to make him forget that he'd made a mistake, "Don't act weird. I'm fine." Trafalgar didn't make a sound or try and stop Kidd when the red head, instead of leaning forward to kiss him as he normally would have, pinned him against the wall with both hands against his upper arms.

"Don't lie to me. What the fuck is wrong? You're the one who's acting weird." Kidd demanded, his expression becoming more serious when he saw that Trafalgar wasn't even looking at him. And it was worse because he was wearing that guilty looking expression again.

Trafalgar spoke reluctantly as he pointedly avoided the other man's gaze, "These past weeks...Joker-ya and I have been having...sex. I was only allowing it and killing people that he asked me to because I thought it would allow me to have my revenge sooner." Trafalgar's shoulders slumped as he realized that Kidd had loosened his hold, though he hadn't drawn away just yet. Trafalgar leaned forward and bumped his head against Kidd's chest, "I...enjoyed being with Joker-ya, when we were in the bedroom, and not around anyone else. I didn't even protest after the first few times. I...I almost encouraged it. It was a way to forget everything, even for a moment." Trafalgar felt Kidd twitch, and kept speaking, though he wondered if even this little bit of information would make Kidd turn and leave him, "I thought you were dead. And even when I wanted to deny it some days, Joker-ya would tell me that even if you were still alive, that you wouldn't want me back if you had known the truth, all of it, of the past between myself and Joker-ya."

Trafalgar fell silent, waiting for the rage or the yelling that he thought was sure to come. After all, he'd never admitted to Kidd that he had a past with Doflamingo. Trafalgar had made it seem more like Doflamingo had been trying to get together with him, instead of Trafalgar leaving him for numerous reasons. Trafalgar winced when he felt Kidd''s grasp on his shoulders tighten, forcing him up against the wall more roughly. The dark haired man watched Kidd warily, looking for signs of the other's temper, but found none. Instead, it seemed like Kidd was thinking. Trafalgar was almost crushed when he felt Kidd let go of him entirely. Trafalgar was more than a little confused when Kidd pulled him forward almost immediately afterward, but it did look like the other man was going to yell at him. Maybe Doflamingo had been right all along, as loathe as Trafalgar was to the idea...

Trafalgar was unprepared for Kidd to drag him up against him and lock him in a fierce kiss. Nor was the dark haired man anticipating for Kidd to hook a leg behind one of his and topple him over onto the floor. Trafalgar let out a faint moan into the kiss as he felt Kidd start to loosen his belt. But Trafalgar was still taken aback. Hadn't Kidd heard a word he'd just said? Why wasn't he angry at him?

Kidd broke for breath and glared down at Trafalgar and his still floored expression. Sometimes Kidd wondered which one of them was stupider than the other when it came to their relationship. The red head scowled, "I don't give a damn what Doflamingo says. Or what kind of past you guys had. If you were with him, you left him to come to me, right? Unless you were going between us?" That might piss him off a little, even if they had agreed they didn't care who the other screwed if the other wasn't around to play.

Trafalgar shook his head, "No, I wasn't going between the two of you. I hadn't seen Joker-ya for two years, until I went to see him at the hospital, after he'd injured you." Trafalgar looked away, "Too bad your crew couldn't even get you to rest."

Kidd smirked at that. The Killer from his past had certainly given him a lot of grief for being injured, but Kidd had managed to sneak away anyway. The red head's face fell slightly as he wondered aloud, "Were you going back to him?"

Trafalgar closed his eyes, hearing the uncertainty, "Only to protect you. It seemed like the only way to keep him away from you. "

Kidd leaned over to kiss Trafalgar again, more urgently this time, before he muttered quietly, "Then don't worry about it too much. We can kill the bastard here."

Trafalgar smiled at that, before he remembered what he was going to do when he saw Kidd. And since Kidd didn't seem to resent him for keeping quiet about some things, he felt better about teasing the other man, "I have something for you." Trafalgar smirked at the look that the other man gave him, and sat up, the red head backing off to allow him to do so.

Kidd watched Trafalgar draw something out of his pocket and hold it up for him to see.

The faint blush that appeared across Kidd's face amused Trafalgar, after the red head saw what he was holding. It entertained the other man that such a small thing could have such an impact on the other.

Kidd took the gold and silver ring from Trafalgar, who didn't say anything, and pocketed it. Kidd wondered why Trafalgar wasn't saying anything but as soon as he noted the smirk, Kidd supposed that he didn't need to hear any words. Kidd grinned to himself happily as he hugged Trafalgar to his chest, pleased that the other man was indulging him in his interpretation of the ring and whispered, "It's not fair that you can turn me on without saying a damn thing."

"I know. That was the point." Trafalgar admitted, though he still felt slightly guilty about being with Doflamingo while Kidd was still alive. He wanted to protest, to find out why Kidd could so easily dismiss it, when Kidd let go of him and inched toward him with a glint in his eyes.

Kidd grinned with childish glee as he lifted Trafalgar up and carried him over to one of the two armchairs that were in the small control room and deposited him there. Giving Trafalgar no time to react, Kidd easily slipped Trafalgar pants down and off, amused that the man wore nothing else. Trafalgar let out a pleased sigh as Kidd settled over him on the chair, shoving him back up against the soft back of the chair.

Trafalgar exchanged glances with his lover and returned the smile the red head wore with a small smirk of his own. Trafalgar tilted his head back as Kidd started to leave a trail of kiss down the side of his neck, and felt the other man shift to remove his pants as well, before settling back over him, and trapping him against the chair. Trafalgar glanced down and raised a brow as he noted that Kidd had only been wearing pants as well. The dark haired man moved a hand forward and gripped Kidd's half aroused member to give it a gentle squeeze.

Kidd bucked in Trafalgar's grasp, only half surprised that his lover had gone straight to giving him a handjob. Kidd leaned over slightly to brace himself on the armrests of the chair so that he didn't settle his whole weight onto Trafalgar. Though Kidd doubted the man would mind much if it allowed them to be closer. Kidd let out an odd gasp and moan against Trafalgar's neck as the other man played with him.

"I'm sorry, Eustass-ya. We can talk later, if you want to..."

Kidd turned his head to drown his lover in a kiss in answer, as he resisted the urge to thrust into the other man's hands, knowing what Trafalgar had in mind. It was why Kidd hadn't bothered to touch Trafalgar in return in favor of keeping his weight off the other man for the time being.

Trafalgar stopped after a few more strokes of his hand, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Kidd's as he murmured softly, "I missed you."

Kidd wasn't sure whether he meant from these past few weeks or the time that they had been dead, but before the red head could respond for clarification, there was a resounding bang from somewhere in the warehouse.

Trafalgar rested a hand up against Kidd's chest as he spoke shortly, "They found us."

Kidd reluctantly slid off the chair to allow Trafalgar to get up. The red head took a few moments to appreciate the sight of Trafalgar shoving himself up and out of the chair and moving over toward a control panel of buttons, where he sat back down on the chair in front of it, still half naked. Kidd wandered over after a moment, and peered out the windows that he hadn't noticed were there before. Kidd's face lit up with an eager grin. From what he could see that was set up, the red head approved wholeheartedly of what Trafalgar had done. Especially a few oddities. "Is that an iron maiden?"

"Hm, yes. I watched some movies in a hotel to get some ideas. You can't see the really good stuff from here, but I had cameras set up all over, so the monitors will pick them up." Trafalgar watched the front door give in after it was slammed up against a few more times, and smirked at what followed.

Kidd turned his attention to what Trafalgar was looking at and grinned.

It looked like Doflamingo was having a hard time forcing himself through the small door, his height a hindrance.

Kidd looked around all the buttons before him, though he kept an eye on Doflamingo's progress as well, "What the hell is all this?"

"It's linked to the cameras and a lot of the traps that are around, among other things. Doflamingo did promise me the chance to kill him, and in a place of my own choosing."

Kidd looked around, amused, and commented aloud, "It looks expensive. You sure thought it out." Kidd peered out of some windows that overlooked the entire warehouse, ignoring Doflamingo struggling to enter as he absently draped an arm over to Trafalgar's shoulders as the other man slid up and out of the chair next to him, his eyes on a monitor, presumably the one that showed Doflamingo.

"I had a lot of time to think. Especially when I was all alone in your house as a spirit, waiting for you to realize that I was in the house with you." Trafalgar responded, and watched as Doflamingo finally forced himself in through the warehouse's small front entryway.

"Why's the door so small?" Kidd questioned, hand trailing down to lightly smack Trafalgars's bare backside.

Trafalgar absently swatted Kidd's hand away, though not very hard, "I'm not going to make things easy on him." Trafalgar watched an irritated Doflamingo stalk inside, his head turning this way and that, as if he would locate the two men he was looking for in that manner. Trafalgar's smile vanished, as he watched Doflamingo enter the warehouse's entryway a few paces more, several people that worked for him trailing along after him. Trafalgar was surprised at who entered in after them, and exchanged a smirk with Kidd, who had also noticed the other intruders.

Bartolomeo, Ace, and Marco.

It was better than Trafalgar could've imagined, and he grinned at Kidd in anticipation, "Push the red button, Eustass-ya."

Kidd reached out with a hand, finger hovering over a button, "Is this the right one?"

Trafalgar glanced at the button, "Yes."

Kidd pressed the button, and grinned wolfishly as all of the exit suddenly sealed off with heavily reinforced doors, and bars clanged down to block the windows. A steel door dropped down over the door the group had come in from, trapping those that had just come inside the warehouse.

Trafalgar smiled, pleased. Everything was going according to plan, so far, except for the fact that Marco, Ace, and Bartolomeo had showed up. No matter. Trafalgar was eager. Things were finally right again. He had Kidd with him again, and believed that he had Doflamingo trapped well and good within the warehouse. It would take a lot for the man to force himself out. Not that Trafalgar thought he would want to until he got his hands on him. The dark haired man was proven right when he heard Doflamingo's voice echo in the spacious warehouse, his voice tight and lacking any humor.

"Hello, Law. I see that you did have fun with my credit cards."

Trafalgar picked up a microphone that was nearby, and turned it on, as he pressed another button, his eyes on the monitor that showed Doflamingo. He was excited, as he finally was going to have his revenge, "Good evening, Joker-ya. I certainly did use a lot of your money to set this up, and I hired a lot of help to make sure that it was ready. You really shouldn't have lied to me about Kidd."

Kidd leaned over Trafalgar's shoulder, and spoke snidely, "Too bad you couldn't kill me."

Doflamingo looked like he had been frowning, but now he was smiling, "I could've sworn that I killed your red haired lover, Law. He should have bled out." Doflamingo smiled at the angry sound that Trafalgar made over the microphone, knowing that the other man disliked being lied to. The blond haired man hadn't, exactly, because he hadn't outright said that he'd killed Kidd. He'd only implied it, after all. Doflamingo's smile grew, "When I get my hands on the two of you, you're going to wish that you'd never been born. The longer you drag this out, the worse it is going to be."

While Trafalgar hated to be lied to, he wasn't at all surprised that Doflamingo had done so. Regaining control over his emotions, Trafalgar responded, "If you survive to reach the exit with everything that I've set up and devised here, I'll give you the chance to do just that. You reach the exit, and Kidd and I will be there."

Before Doflamingo could respond to that, a scream rang out, followed by a meaty thud, and a drawn out gurgle.

Trafalgar leaned against a nearby table, providing Kidd with a nice view of his ass, and spoke smoothly, unconcerned, "Sounds like one of your murdering lackeys found a pit of spikes."

A snapping sound rang out, followed by a screech, and Trafalgar smirked, "It sounds like someone also found one of the bear traps." Trafalgar would've liked to say more, but found the microphone being manhandled out of his hands instead. Trafalgar was annoyed, about to demand to Kidd what he was doing, when he realized that Kidd had pressed the button to shut the microphone off from the rest of the warehouse.

The smoldering look that Kidd had fixed on Trafalgar was enough to temporarily distract the dark haired man from his goal of harassing Doflamingo further.

With a sly smirk, Trafalgar allowed himself to be backed up into the nearest armchair again. It was sure to prove even more interesting than before, because Kidd seemed to be intent on following through with what they had been doing before they had been interrupted by Doflamingo's arrival.


	37. Reprieve

Kidd practically crawled onto the chair after Trafalgar as he leaned over him and breathed against his neck, "Mm, a spike pit?" Kidd could only begin to imagine what else, but at the moment he was intent on having some long, overdue contact with his lover.

"...yes, what about it?" Trafalgar asked as he reached around Kidd's waist to bring him closer, and more or less onto his lap. Trafalgar smiled as Kidd, instead of responding with words, crashed their lips together in what seemed like an attempt to eat his mouth. Trafalgar responded in turn, his arms tight around Kidd's back as he urged him to come even closer. The dark haired man wanted Kidd to be as close to his body as possible.

Kidd grinned at the other man's actions, and forced his way into the other man's mouth to deepen the kiss. The redhead let his hands rest on the armrests of the chair as he settled on Trafalgar's lap, drawing out a hiss from the other man at the sudden contact of their bare skin. Kidd freed Trafalgar from the kiss and allowed him a moment to catch his breath, as Kidd dipped his head lower and laid kisses along the other man's collarbone at an almost urgent pace, "A spike pit...what else is there?" Kidd nipped the skin in the crook of Trafalgar's neck, "Though I guess whatever it is, it's going to go with how twisted you really are."

"So I'm the more twisted individual between the two of us?" Trafalgar questioned, "I thought for sure that you were with all of the destruction and mayhem you and your crew caused in the past."

"...That's only cause I needed a way to make my point." Kidd nuzzled his cheek against the bite mark he'd left on the left side of Trafalgar's neck, "You're the one that drives me crazy when we're alone."

"Hm...so I'm twisted and you're crazy? It's a wonder I didn't run into you sooner. I guess almost drowning had it's use." Trafalgar let go of his hold around Kidd's waist, and reached up, "I do still wonder what was going through your mind when your crew dragged a net up with several fish and an unconscious man."

Kidd smirked at the memory, and allowed Trafalgar to tilt his head up and away from the collarbone he'd been nibbling at. Seeing the expectant expression, the redhead's smile deepened ever so slightly, "Other than the fact that as soon as you woke up you started making passes at me?"

"Yes, other than that." Trafalgar confirmed, with a tiny smirk, as he trailed his fingertips lightly along Kidd's chest, and down to his waist, "Though I do have to also wonder why you insisted that we share a bed."

"I was just making sure that you didn't run off before I was finished with you. You had quite the tongue on you at the time, half drowned and all." Kidd mumbled as Trafalgar ran a hand through his hair and brought him in for another kiss, which Kidd liked, and even more so when Trafalgar moaned into it. Kidd felt the dark haired man wrap one of his arms around the back of his neck, so that they could be even closer. Kidd supposed there wouldn't be much room for any more talk, and in any case, several weeks was far too long to be separated from his lover, and Kidd was going to enjoy this despite the fact that he and Trafalgar had essentially trapped themselves in a warehouse with a none too happy Doflamingo.

Neither Kidd nor Trafalgar noticed that Doflamingo had managed to get his men to stay at the entrance, as he himself went on ahead solo, or the fact that Marco and the others had already gone off in another direction, and out of view for the time being.

Kidd didn't particularly care what the other people in the warehouse were up to at this point in time because Trafalgar was on his mind. He could tell that Trafalgar was the mood, even if he was still hesitant at his touch, and knew that Doflamingo was to be the cause of that. The reason why Trafalgar hadn't been joining in on Kidd's advances earlier. Kidd reached into his jacket with a hand and produced some lube, and smirked when Trafalgar hastily grabbed it with one of his hands.

"Lotion?" Trafalgar breathed, and pulled Kidd closer with one arm as he inspected the small bottle in his other hand.

"No, something else." Kidd would have explained where he'd gotten it, but apparently Trafalgar was just as impatient as he was, as he heard his lover open the bottle. Kidd felt wet fingertips trail lightly along his waist, before they went around his waist and down. Kidd rested one hand on the armrest, as the other wrapped around Trafalgar's back as he panted in amusement, "You that eager to fuck me?"

Trafalgar leaned his head up to kiss Kidd before he spoke against his lips, "What do you think?"

Kidd gasped indignantly as Trafalgar twisted his fingers, before he let out an interesting grunt. Trafalgar was in the mood all right, and was apparently trying to get things moving along as quickly as he possibly could without hurting the other man too much. "Did Doflamingo not let you screw him?" Kidd flinched as Trafalgar's other hand dropped down to slowly run along his member, and Kidd supposed that was a stupid question to ask right now.

"No, he didn't." Trafalgar said simply, and for once didn't scold Kidd about bringing Doflamingo up in front of him.

Kidd distracted himself from Trafalgar teasing him with both of his hands, and kissed along the dark haired man's neck and throat, biting here and there as Trafalgar continued to prepare him rather hastily, and spoke breathlessly, "Don't shove your fingers in so fast, dumbass. Calm the fuck down. I like it, but slow down a bit, would you? I'm not going anywhere."

Trafalgar removed his fingers, before he slicked his own member up with some of the lube, giving his lover a slightly irate glare, "I am calm, Eustass-ya. And I was going slow. You'd be taking me dry otherwise." Trafalgar settled his hands on Kidd's hips, before he raised a brow at the other silently.

Kidd scowled at Trafalgar, but merely rested his knees more heavily on either side of the dark haired man's thighs, and braced his hands on the armrest of the chair once more, "And you'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" Frowning at the lack of response, but seeing the sly smile aimed his way, Kidd allowed Trafalgar's hands resting on his hips to guide him down.

If either had been looking at the monitors, they would have seen Doflamingo making his way straight for one of Trafalgar's many traps.

-x-

Doflamingo was smiling, but he was in a foul mood, and if he had come across anyone at the moment he was liable to outright murder them. Doflamingo stooped to walk along a small, built in corridor, and paused briefly, eying it. After seeing the pit and the bear trap, he wasn't going to make the mistake of thinking that there weren't going to be any more traps. Trafalgar had obviously indulged in every sick fantasy as he could think of, and made it reality. Doflamingo silently looked around, and then up.

Doflamingo frowned at the wired fences that blocked part of the warehouse from the rest, and stooped further to pick up a rock. After a brief moment, Doflamingo tossed it, and watched as a spark appeared from where he had thrown the rock. The blond haired man watched the rock, now in pieces and smoldering, land on the ground.

Electrified fences.

Doflamingo turned back to the corridor. It seemed like he would have to make his way through this mess to the exit after all. Doflamingo's smile returned. When he got his hands on Trafalgar, he was going to have some choice words and actions for this travesty that the dark haired man had come up with. With a nasty smile stretching across his face once more, Doflamingo stepped forward, intent on doing just that.

Doflamingo made it halfway through the small corridor, before the ground suddenly gave out from beneath his feet. Doflamingo twisted in an attempt to avoid impaling himself in yet another pit of spikes, and grimaced at the fact he hadn't had enough time to react to completely avoid injury. Doflamingo reached out, setting his jaw.

There was no way around it. This was going to hurt.

-x-

Kidd narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that it had been while since he'd had sex, as the body he was possessing wasn't as loose as he would've liked it. Kidd supposed he didn't care whether or not Eustass' body could take it because Kidd himself enjoyed it rough on occasion, and loved that Trafalgar loved it as well. Kidd slowly lowered himself down further, Trafalgar's hands still guiding him, until his lover was buried in him. Kidd leaned forward and kissed Trafalgar briefly, and, keeping himself braced on the armrest, whispered teasingly, "You gonna start moving anytime soon or do I have to do all the work?" Kidd didn't get an answer straight away as a series of curses suddenly rang out from one of the monitors.

Trafalgar glanced to the side past Kidd's lowered head, as the red head twisted slightly to the left to look over his shoulder.

Both men grinned darkly at the sight of Doflamingo pulling himself out of a pit of spikes, wincing and looking to have just barely managed to avoid being impaled. He hadn't completely come out unscathed, as he had a few scratches along his legs and part of his forearms.

Kidd laughed at the sight, before he was distracted by Trafalgar wrapping his hands around his back, and giving his hips a sharp thrust up. Kidd bit back a startled cry and buried his face against the crook of Trafalgar's neck, moving his hips in time with Trafalgar. Kidd figured that his dark haired lover was more enthusiastic at the moment because of the sight of Doflamingo being hurt. Concentrating on kissing Trafalgar's collarbone and neck or whatever he could reach, Kidd dimly heard the other man speak calmly, holding him close with every thrust.

"I want to watch him suffer. Do you mind?"

Kidd knew that that meant Trafalgar was going to be partially distracted while fucking him, but he didn't mind. They could always have more sex later, once they were done with Doflamingo. "Let me know if anything interesting happens." Kidd commented as he ground down against Trafalgar and drew out a sharp, turned on gasp from the other man. Kidd grinned, but as soon as Trafalgar started to rock his hips more smoothly, Kidd's expression changed, and it was everything he could do to prevent his cries from being anything more than moans and gasps.

Trafalgar had his eyes fixed on the screens, watching Doflamingo's moves, but he soon couldn't ignore the other man on his lap, and soon refocused his attention onto Kidd, laughing breathlessly as he ran a hand along Kidd's dick, smirking into skin when the red head pressed himself closer, "You're almost done? Already? Did you not have any sex while I was gone?"

Kidd made a sound that was likely agreement, though it came out a whine instead. It didn't take either of them very long to come, as a few swift touches from Trafalgar made Kidd unable to hold on any longer, and Trafalgar came soon after.

Trafalgar kissed the side of his lover's head as Kidd rested his head on his shoulder, panting, "You all right?"

"Fine." Kidd mumbled, taking a few more breathes before he felt recovered enough to separate from Trafalgar, who was smirking at him the whole time. The redhead returned the smirk as he reached down and retrieved his pants. Kidd absently pulled his pants back on, and settled onto the other armchair in the room to watch the monitors. He couldn't spot Ace or the others, but he was more interested in the moment at the sight of all of the traps and other things devised to injure and torment. Kidd was pleased that it seemed like every trap that Doflamingo came across was meant to be unavoidable, as the other man was a very large target in tight, manufactured rooms and corridors. Kidd was grimly amused at how sick Trafalgar's mind was.

Kidd didn't complain when Trafalgar settled onto his lap. In fact, he was quite happy to let the other man stay there for the remainder of the time that they were in the warehouse, especially considering that Trafalgar hadn't even bothered to put his pants back on. Kidd's hands mirrored his dark haired lover's as they felt each other up. Kidd slumped against the back of the chair as Trafalgar captured his lips in a more slow and sensual kiss. One that explored every inch of his mouth.

Trafalgar paid attention to Kidd for as long as he could, before he let up and settled for curling up comfortably in Kidd's lap, and tilting his head to watch a beaten up and angry Doflamingo make his way through the warehouse.


	38. Traps

He was getting very tired of this, and he'd only been in the damn warehouse for twenty minutes, at most.

Doflamingo swatted aside a gun that had just dropped down from in front of him, and barely even flinched as it went off. The older man kicked away some barrels and crates meant to slow him down, and avoided a few more nasty sharp objects aimed at him. Doflamingo smiled to himself as he continued on his way as if he hadn't nearly been skewered again like he had almost become in the pit of spikes earlier. Doflamingo had had no idea just how depraved Trafalgar's mind really was, but the large axe-like blade that was now whizzing through the air toward him gave him a fairly good idea. And so did several iron maidens and other sharp instruments lying against the wall behind him, as if there hadn't been enough time to put them in place.

Doflamingo immediately dropped to the ground as the sharp blade went overhead, low enough to the ground that the older man felt the pressure of the blade against the back of his feathery coat. Doflamingo lurched forward for the single tunnel-like path before him, in case any more blades tried to cut him. Doflamingo laughed as he narrowly avoiding tripping over a near invisible wire straight in front of the tunnel, and made an undignified roll into the narrow place.

He held still, waiting, almost certain that the ground was going to give way as it had before. It didn't, and Doflamingo cautiously rose, though he had to remain stooped, again, to avoid brushing against the top of the hastily put together tunnel. The blond's smile was fixed as he reached the other end of the shoddily built place, and emerged into a large open space. Doflamingo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, though with the glasses in place, he merely seemed to be contemplating where to go next. Inwardly, Doflamingo was wondering what else he was going to encounter on his way to the exit of the warehouse.

Doflamingo absently ran a hand along his right arm, before leaving it alone at the painful twinge. So long as he didn't come across any more pits or the ground caving out beneath him, he'd likely be able to get out unscathed. Or spikes coming out of the walls. It just figured that Trafalgar would design things with his height in mind. After another brief survey of the area, the blond haired man began to skirt the side of the wide open space. He could see the back wall of the warehouse from where he was, even if it was a tad on the dark side. Though there was likely to be a detour at some point, as Trafalgar wasn't going to let him take the easy way out.

Doflamingo heard a rushing sound, almost like water, and turned his head. He watched something start to fill into the room he was standing in, and noted that it wasn't water, but something that was sizzling upon contact with the ground. Doflamingo's eyes widened a fraction. Acid, perhaps? Doflamingo's head whipped to the door he'd been heading to, and saw that it was closed now, trapping him in the open room with acid or some substance steadily filling in. Doflamingo grit his teeth as he looked around for higher ground, and glanced up silently. The only thing he could see that could potentially hold his weight was some mesh fence that enclosed the room. Doflamingo moved away from the substance that oozed across the floor toward him, and made a jump, reaching up with one long arm.

The blond grinned triumphantly as his fingers seized the fence, and held on tightly as he hoisted himself toward it and latched on with his other hand. Doflamingo chanced a glance down, and saw that the substance now entirely encased the ground he'd been standing on moments before. Doflamingo, with a doubtful expression, lifted up a foot to try and gain more purchase, when he heard something headed toward him. Doflamngo swiftly dropped his leg, narrowly avoiding having the foot impaled by a sharp spike. Doflamingo couldn't avoid the other spikes, and grimly endure the pain of the spikes cutting into the skin of his arms and legs, as well as one narrowly avoiding his neck, but taking something with it in any case.

Doflamingo watched in dismay as his favorite feathery pink jacket met its demise, slowly sinking into the substance below, where it fizzled against the jacket, until it was entirely gone. Doflamingo scowled. He'd had to have the damn thing specifically tailored for his frame, and it had been expensive as hell. Doflamingo gripped the mesh wire fence more tightly, aware that it would be a bad idea to let go and meet a similar fate. With a sigh, Doflamingo's smile came back as he slowly made his way along the fence, and over to where he could force himself up under the fence and onto a wall. It would get him one step closer to the exit.

Doflamingo's hands tightened subconsciously as his smile grew in its intensity. Trafalgar was going to pay for every little thing that happened to him in this warehouse, and there was no way he was going to let the dark haired man think that he was going to get away with this.

-x-

"Is he all right?" Ace questioned, though his eyes were on the same pit of spikes that Doflamingo had landed in earlier, and was amusing himself by melting the spikes with his pyrokinesis.

"He's fine. I think he's more in shock that you saved him than anything," Marco responded, stepping away from Bartolomeo after seeing to it that the green haired teen hadn't been injured.

Bartolomeo seemed to be distracted, shaking and muttering feverishly under his breath.

Both Marco and Ace assumed that the muttering was from having a near death experience, but had they been really listening, they would have heard things like "he touched me. Luffy's brother  _touched_  me" and "I'm not worthy of his notice" or the fact that the pierced teen was now crying, not out of fear, but from being overwhelmed with feelings of admiration.

Ace toned down the flames, and turned to Marco, who was standing alongside him and giving him a searching look. "What?"

"I think you can stop burning the spikes now." Marco commented, glancing down into the pit, "I think all we need to worry about now is how to get across and not land in molten iron."

The flames dispersed altogether and Ace shrugged his shoulders, "We could probably make it if we go on either side of the pit." The black haired teen pointed out the bits of cement that hadn't fallen into the pit.

Bartolomeo was suddenly between the two, looking eager, "Great idea. I knew you and your brother were awesome! I would never have thought of that!"

Marco hid a smile at the now beaming Bartolomeo and the rather confused Ace, "We should keep moving. We don't know what else that ghost has planned."

Ace carefully avoided Bartolomeo, rather put off by how enthusiastic the other teen was, and the fact that he didn't really know him other than the fact that they went to the same school, "The ghost that's possessing Law?"

"The one possessing Eustass is here too. I heard him over the speaker. But he was bedridden for awhile, so this place isn't his doing." Marco moved up against the wall, carefully traversing the edge of the pit, "And there's also the fact that the spirit possessing Law seems to have some problem with Doflamingo. Eustass, or the spirit possessing him, did mention Doflamingo and Law. I assume that Doflamingo took Law with him, whether because he thought it was Law, or knew that there was a spirit possessing Law." Marco reached the other side of the pit, and had to reach out to help Bartolomeo balance, before the teen fell into the melted spikes because he was marveling at how Ace had managed to make it to the other side so quickly.

"What are you talking about?" Ace questioned, settling his hat back on his head as he glanced around the immediate area on the other side of the pit. There were two paths to choose, and he supposed they'd be taking the way that looked like Doflamingo had taken. Mainly because the older man would have set off any potential traps.

Marco shook his head at the sight of Ace trying to figure out which way to go, and Bartolomeo watching him admiringly from a few paces away, "What I'm saying is that I think that Doflamingo knows one or both of the spirits for some reason. He specifically mentioned that he wanted to get his hands on both Eustass and Law, and I'm fairly certain he meant the spirits. Eustass hadn't done anything to anger Doflamingo, and Law worked for the man."


	39. Spiraling

Trafalgar brought up the camera feed of Doflamingo onto one of the bigger screens in the room, and leaned up against Kidd comfortably. He was only faintly disappointed that Doflamingo had managed to get away from the nasty trap he'd set up. The dark haired man trailed a hand along his lover's nearest hand, smiling when Kidd latched onto it and held on tightly. Trafalgar glanced at him, and noted that the redhead's gaze was on the screen. The dark haired doctor turned his attention back to the screen as well, smiling. At least the acid trap had brought about something amusing. Doflamingo had looked quite upset that he'd lost his precious pink coat. Without it, the other man wasn't nearly as fashionably flashy now, just large and seemingly more imposing.

Trafalgar noted with trepidation that since the camera had zoomed in on Doflamingo, he could see just how much effort the older man was putting into shimmying arcoss the mesh fence above the acid below. Not only that, but Trafalgar could see the muscles working in his arms, and the slight shake the effort was taking on him. Trafalgar couldn't help but appreciate the sight of the broad back, and shivered faintly, remembering having his arms wrapped around that same back not too long ago.

Kidd let go of Trafalgar's hands and wrapped his arms silently around the other man's back, and held him close. He wasn't entirely sure, but Kidd felt like something was bothering Trafalgar, and he couldn't quite figure out what it was. But he did have a faint inkling. Kidd glanced over Trafalgar's shoulder and peered down at his lover's lap. He hadn't bothered to put pants on, so the redhead had no problem seeing that Trafalgar was already hard again, and he was suspicious as to why. It wasn't like he had done anything after a brief make out session, and he was fairly certain that Trafalgar wasn't this aroused before. Kidd's eyes drifted back up to the screen and scowled at Doflamingo.

Trafalgar felt Kidd's arms tighten around him, and winced slightly at just how hard his lover was holding him. He rested a hand on one of Kidd's arms, "Eustass-ya?"

"You're hard again."

Trafalgar shivered faintly as Kidd dipped one of his hands down and ran it across his length for emphasis, before the hand went back to holding him, "What about it?" Trafalgar asked, once he had gotten his breath back.

"Are you really that turned on by watching that son of a bitch suffer?"

Trafalgar was silent, before he took his eyes off the screen and leaned up against Kidd more heavily, so that he could get a good look at the red head's face, "Mostly, yes. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know..." Kidd had finally figured out what was bothering him, "...maybe because it looked like you were checking him out?"

Trafalgar stilled for a moment, before inching closer and lying a brief kiss on Kidd's cheek, "Maybe a little. I hardly got to see him from behind when he had that jacket off." It was good to know that Kidd could still feel some jealously, but it wasn't like the dark haired man was planning on having anything to do with Doflamingo after this.

Kidd grinned and dipped his head down to kiss the other man, "Didn't let you get a peek?"

"I only saw him from the front." Trafalgar said, raising a brow at Kidd as he gave him another kiss before glancing up at the screen once more, "He never did like to be around me with his back to me. At least not for very long."

"It couldn't be because you can be quite the psycho sometimes? Maybe he thought you'd operate on him in the middle of the night or something." Kidd rested his head on top of Trafalgar's and peered at the screen disinterestedly, since Doflamingo had managed to get to a wall he could pull himself over. Kidd hummed his disappointment, before sneakily dropping his hands and feeling Trafalgar up, smirking when he got a twitch and an intake of breath. The red head watched Doflamingo's movement, before speaking again, "You got anything he won't be able to escape from?"

"...Yes. It all depends on whether he will be able to react swiftly enough or not." Trafalgar managed to respond, before he bucked his hips at what Kidd was doing. Just as he was beginning to enjoy the sensations, Kidd stopped abruptly. The dark haired man struggled for a moment to get out of the haze Kidd had drawn him into, and spoke, out of breath, "Why...did you stop?"

"Trafalgar..." Kidd said, his hands all but leaving his lover's body as he sat up straighter and stared even harder at the screen.

Confused, and a little miffed that Kidd had stopped giving him a hand job, Trafalgar looked at the screen as well, and frowned. It was flickering slightly, before it cut out entirely. Trafalgar scowled and slid out of Kidd's lap, giving the screen a hearty thwack. And a glare for good measure.

Kidd shook his head, "I don't think that's gonna help, Trafalgar."

The dark haired man ignored Kidd for a moment, and gave the screen another smack. There was a bit of static from the motion, before the screen brought the feed back on. And Trafalgar supposed that it was just in time, too. He moved to the side to allow Kidd to see the screen, and both watched with malicious glee at the sight that greeted them.

Doflamingo had backed away several steps, but had tripped over something, before his body stumbled to a halt and went completely rigid.

Trafalgar watched silently as Doflamingo's head separated from his body with a sharp swish of something going through the air.

Kidd watched the head drop to the ground with a sickening thud. What was that? Razor wire? Kidd blinked at the screen, before he grinned. Damn, Trafalgar was one sick son of a bitch, and he loved him for it.

Trafalgar stared at the screen, in shock and a little disappointment, almost, that that was how Doflamingo had met his end. A beheading by razor wire. Trafalgar watched the body slump down, and as it did, Trafalgar's shoulders drooped in relief. It was over, but it seemed almost too easy. Trafalgar turned and approached Kidd, a gleam in his eyes and a small smirk on his face. He was so relieved, in fact, that he was up for another round. He still had tension in his body to release, and getting Kidd hot and sweaty and begging sounded like a wonderful way to go about it.

Kidd was more than happy to accommodate Trafalgar as the other man slid back onto his lap, but he continued to watch the screen warily. He was surprised that Doflamingo been taken care of so easily. It couldn't have been that easy, could it? Kidd blinked, his head sharply turning in order to better look at the screen. He could have sworn that he had seen movement...

Kidd let out a gasp and held Trafalgar away from him, "The screen. The screen, Trafalgar."

Trafalgar gave Kidd a funny look, again annoyed that he was being stopped, but the sincere disbelief in Kidd's voice made him twist and look. Trafalgar froze in place on Kidd's lap, staring at the screen with something akin to horror. It couldn't be...but he was seeing it, and so was Kidd.

Doflamingo's headless corpse moving.

Moving and walking forward a few feet to pick up his head, which dripped with blood from the severed neck.

And then, to add to the surreal scene, the head spoke in grim amusement, with a wide and terrifying smile, "I've had enough of your games, Law. I'm going to play one of my own."

The screen went static a second time.

Law lurched up and out of Kidd's lap to smack the monitor again, but when the feed came back on, Doflamingo wasn't there. Trafalgar frantically searched the other screens, but couldn't find the older man on them anywhere, "Where did he go?" Trafalgar realized that he was afraid. And, knowing that something was wrong, and perhaps he and Kidd should leave, quickly got his pants back on. Trafalgar had a terrible, terrible feeling about all of this.

Kidd watched Trafalgar frantically look around at all of the monitors, "Hey, cam down. Freaking out won't let you find the bastard sooner."

"I know." Trafalgar snapped, hopelessly pressing several buttons in an attempt to locate Doflamingo. He was dead. He  _had_  to be dead. He'd seen it.

Kidd was about to say more, when he heard something whistle through the air. The redhead just happened to be looking out the glass windows of the control room, and saw something he really wished he hadn't. All the same, he would be able to give his lover a warning. "Trafalgar! Get away from the windows!"

Trafalgar barely had any time to process that, but he sure as hell saw something flying at the glass. The dark haired man barely made it to the steel door, instinctively wrenching it open and dragging Kidd along with him to hide behind it as glass shattered and covered a good portion of the small room. Trafalgar clung to Kidd's upper arm more tightly at the sight of a very much alive, and heavily bleeding Doflamingo, who was not beheaded in the least. Doflamingo was also grinning so widely that Trafalgar tensed further, consciously stepping away. He knew that look all too well, and knew that the older man was beside himself with fury. He and Kidd needed to get out, now, "Run, Kidd."

"What?" Kidd asked, not taking his eyes off of the eerily smiling Doflamingo, though he did notice the slip of Trafalgar using his first name.

"Run!" Trafalgar snapped, either not noticing the slip or not caring, as he dragged Kidd along down the narrow staircase while futilely trying to drown out Doflamingo's burst of laughter at his actions. Trafalgar wrenched the door at the bottom of the stairs open, and shoved Kidd through it, "Go! To the exit!"

Kidd ran, but only because he couldn't think of another time that Trafalgar had been in such a panic. Only, he hadn't realized that Trafalgar had stumbled in another direction as Doflamingo made it down the stairs in a blink of an eye. Nor did either of them realize that Doflamingo, still smiling, went after Kidd under the assumption that Trafalgar was leading the way.

Trafalgar didn't realize that Kidd wasn't with him until he had calmed down enough to think things through rationally. The dark haired man looked around, once he noticed no complaints from his companion. He was alone.

"Eustass-ya?"

-x-

Kidd raced in the direction of the exit as Trafalgar had indicated, but before he could get very far, or realize that Trafalgar wasn't with him, he was sideswept by furious Doflamingo. Kidd felt one of Doflamingo's hands wrap around his throat, but when the red head tried to retaliate, Doflamingo pinned him roughly up against the nearby wall. Kidd's heart was hammering in surprise, and despite the hand wrapped threateningly around his throat, as he spoke shakily, "You should be dead. No one could ever survive a beheading."

Doflamingo chuckled darkly, "I agree. I didn't know what Law had been up to while he was at this warehouse but I had one of my family plant a DVD to play should I need to find a way to get to Law. All it took was the press of a button." Doflamingo shrugged one shoulder. "I figured the best way to locate him was to make him believe that I'd been killed. And then give him a bit of a scare." The older man laughed, "I'm amused that what I had made into CGI fit so well with the crazy, macabre stuff Law set up afterward."

Kidd winced as Doflamingo pressed him more heavily against the wall. Kidd immediately tried to fight back, and lashed out with one hand to punch Doflamingo, but the blond merely caught his wrist. Kidd quickly swung his other fist, but was again foiled as Doflamingo merely secured that wrist in the same hand that held his other in an unbreakable grip.

With an easy motion, Doflamingo held both of Kidd's wrists overhead. The grip tightened, and Kidd felt one long leg press forward up between his legs to prevent him from kicking out with his own legs. Kidd bit his lip, before he started to threaten the other man, despite the fact that Doflamingo still had one hand wrapped around his throat, "Trafalgar and I are going to kill you." Kidd flinched as Doflamingo moved the thumb of the hand around his throat to press up beneath his chin, and tilted it up. Kidd inwardly grimaced at the painful angle his head was forced into, and settled for glaring at the blond haired man.

Doflamingo gave Kidd a bored look, "I wouldn't have cared so much if Law had just fucked you, but it seemed like the doctor had been planning on leaving the city with you a few days before I wounded you. In the past." Doflamingo clarified, before he gave Kidd a once over, as if entertained by the past event years and years later, "It really was foolish of you to be separated from all of your crew, however, it seemed to work in my favor. I gave Law the option back then of either killing you, or treating your wounds and coming to me. I hadn't anticipated someone with wounds like that to come...interrupt us." Doflamingo grinned, still amused, and added, "There's so many things that Law never bothered to tell you, aren't there? Things in his past that he wanted to keep silent from you, out of fear that you may up and leave."

"Trafalgar didn't tell me a lot of things. I knew that. What the hell is your point?" Kidd fell abruptly silent, choking as Doflamingo pressed a few of his fingertips up against his throat, and figured that perhaps he shouldn't have said something. He was at a terrible disadvantage as it was.

Doflamingo let Kidd struggle for breath for a moment, before he loosened his hold. Once the blond haired man was sure that Kidd would still hear him, responded, "My  _point_  is that I would have lost someone very valuable. Not many can match his skill as a surgeon." Doflamingo's voice became a low growl, "And he wanted to run away with a low life pirate."

Kidd hadn't had any idea that that had ever been the case, as Trafalgar had never given any indication of anything of the sort. Though Trafalgar had seemed unusually subdued and nervous a week before Doflamingo had ended up cornering Kidd, the one time that he had been separated from his ship and crew. Kidd supposed that that made Doflamingo's words somewhat believable, if barely.

Kidd gave Doflamingo a bored stare in return, as he highly doubted that the blond was going to let him live, and decided to go about insulting the older man until he ended it. Kidd smiled, despite the painful angle that Doflamingo still had his head in, and spoke, "Maybe that low life pirate had something that Trafalgar wanted. It's a shame the doctor never told me that he wanted to run away with me. I would've taken him with me, and never returned." Kidd was unprepared for Doflamingo to merely chuckle ominously at him. It wasn't at all what he had expected. He had expected some kind of anger. Not the huge, almost predatory grin Doflamingo fixed him with.

Doflamingo's grin was widened to the point that it was almost painful. "I originally planned on killing you, as soon as I found you, but since Law isn't here, I've decided against it for now." Doflamingo's smile lost its edge slightly as his voice took on a displeased tone, "Law is a fool for falling so hard for you...but it's a weakness that I'm fully intending to exploit."

Kidd resumed fighting against Doflamingo as the older man hoisted him up and over one shoulder with barely an effort. It pissed Kidd off to no end that no matter how tall or strong he thought he was, Doflamingo still towered over him and made his efforts of resistance almost laughable. It infuriated Kidd, as Doflamingo walked along back the way they had come from, that no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't escape. Kidd could do nothing to block out Doflamingo's laughter or Eustass' mental dialogue, which was letting Kidd know that he was not at all happy with where this was going. For once, Kidd agreed with his doppelganger, but there really wasn't much he could do at this point. He had no weapon with him, as he'd left it behind in the control room, and it was obvious from the attempts that he couldn't muscle his way free. But Kidd knew that things were going to go further downhill once Trafalgar found out that Doflamingo had cornered and caught him, and Kidd could only hope that his lover didn't do anything stupid.

But it was probably what Doflamingo was hoping for, as well as anticipating, from the dark haired doctor.

-x-

Trafalgar wondered where Kidd had gotten to, as he passed by a TV that he had set up to talk Doflamingo from the control room. It was a pity that Doflamingo had never reached it, because Trafalgar would have had more control over the situation. The dark haired man never expected the TV to be used against him.

Trafalgar was about to keep walking in his search for Kidd, when he caught sight of Doflamingo's grinning visage on the TV screen. The dark haired man paused mid step as he narrowed his eyes at the older man. At least he knew where Doflamingo was now. Trafalgar was about to walk away, intent on locating his lover and getting the hell out of there, when Doflamingo spoke, a soft hint of warning in his voice.

_'I wouldn't walk away if I were you, Law.'_

Trafalgar half turned to glare at the widely smiling Doflamingo, and spoke crossly, "Why?"

_'Looking for your lover?'_

Trafalgar refused to look at the TV, but slowly turned the rest of the way and spoke warily, "What did you do?" Trafalgar stiffened in place when he unwillingly looked at the TV, and caught sight of Doflamingo stepping to one side. The dark haired man ground his teeth together at the sight.

No.

Trafalgar stared at the screen mutely, all but ignoring the sly chuckle that emitted from Doflamingo. Trafalgar was more preoccupied by the sight of Kidd, blindfolded and gagged, and bound to one of the chairs in the control room.

Shit.

-x-

"I seem to have gotten your attention." Doflamingo commented blandly as he circled around the back of the chair. The blond haired man glanced up to find Trafalgar carefully watching his every move. Doflamingo smiled as he stooped and looped one long arm around the front of Kidd's waist, the other hand trailing lightly along the redhead's throat. Doflamingo lifted his gaze to Trafalgar, and his expression darkened even though he spoke calmly, "If you would like your lover and his doppelganger to keep breathing, don't run. Come back to this room that we are in. If you don't, I'll kill him, slowly." Doflamingo let go of Kidd, and reached forward to turn off the TV.

Somewhere in the gloom of the warehouse, an angry scream rang out, cursing him.

Doflamingo grinned, before he moved back over to Kidd, and knelt before him. The blond haired man's hands went to either of Kidd's shoulders as he leaned forward to whisper next to the redhead's nearest ear, "I wonder what kind of expression you or Law would get if I fucked one of you in front of the other." Doflamingo thought about it, pondering, before he spoke again with an easy smile, even though Kidd couldn't see him, "I suppose I would get a good response either way." Doflamingo mused, as he backed away from Kidd after receiving a muffled sound that sounded like a snarl from the red head.

Still grinning, Doflamingo wandered over to the other chair in the room to wait. He knew that Trafalgar would come one way or another.

Kidd was unable to do anything but wait it out and hope that Trafalgar would just run. Doflamingo had tied the thin rope and plastic ties far too tightly to even hope that he could free himself. Kidd's thoughts went to Trafalgar. He didn't want his lover to fall to the blond's grasp again so soon, and especially not with what Doflamingo had just threatened to do. Somehow, Kidd didn't think that Trafalgar would take it well if Doflamingo screwed either of them in front of the other. The dark haired man's emotions were already out of whack as it was with whatever Doflamingo had been saying or doing to him in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, Eustass decided to make a reappearance, so Kidd had to focus on him for the time being, and not what Trafalgar should be doing in this situation. Which was run.

_'You idiot! Get free already! I don't want that son of a bitch anywhere near me!'_

Kidd made a muffled sound of irritation. Damn. He could feel Eustass fighting to regain control of his body. Kidd fought desperately in return to retain control over the body, as Doflamingo let out an odd chuckle here and there for whatever reason.

_'I am not dealing with this fucking bullshit! Fucking ghost.'_

Kidd bit the gag as he felt his control over Eustass' body start to waver. No. He couldn't lose control right now. Dimly Kidd hoped that Trafalgar wouldn't show up, but knew that was unlikely to occur. Kidd mostly tuned out Doflamingo's words as he strove to not give control back to Eustass.

"Law isn't as smart as he used to be. I suppose it's your fault. He'd been acting oddly ever since he started to see you." Doflamingo laughed, "Fufufufu. Though I suppose that it could be partially my fault, since apparently he misinterpreted something that I did in the past, which prompted him to leave me in the first place." Doflamingo stared at the monitors thoughtfully, "I never thought Law would be capable of something like this, but if it is revenge he wants for the past..." Doflamingo frowned, muttering to himself more than to Kidd now, "I should have known what had caused him to distance himself in the first place...that could have been easily fixed..."

Kidd was currently uninterested in Doflamingo's ramblings, as Eustass was starting to piss him off just as much as the larger man in the room.

_'It's my body, you damn bastard!'_

Kidd ground his teeth against the gag. Dammit. He could feel the control slipping away from him even further.

Doflamingo was unaware of the mental struggle going on because his gaze was fixed on Trafalgar, and the older man wore an unnervingly curved smile as he watched the dark haired man's every move.


	40. Reasons

Trafalgar cursed again at the static the television screen was showing him now. Kidd...dammit, he had been sure that, given the choice, Doflamingo would have gone after him. The blond haired man may have disliked Kidd, but he seemed more intent on going after him. Trafalgar had heard it in the older man's voice. Trafalgar gave the television screen a final glance, before he moved on.

Carefully skirting a trap that was set up nearby, Trafalgar headed back in the direction he had come. He needed to get back to the control room as quickly as he was able to, because he didn't have a doubt in his mind that Doflamingo would harm Kidd, despite the fact that his red haired lover was merely possessing a body that wasn't his own. Trafalgar squeezed through a fence nearby, thinking to take a shortcut to avoid the nastier things that had been set up in the warehouse. Trafalgar's gaze darted back and forth as he made his way to the control room, his thoughts drifting as he walked.

It was frustrating, the turn of events. Trafalgar hadn't expected Doflamingo to be able to bypass numerous traps and go right for the control room. Trafalgar was fairy certain that the glass was supposed to have withstood any damage, to a point. The dark haired man guessed that he had underestimated the strength of the older man. He had certainly hurled something through the air at a high enough speed to shatter the supposedly shatter-proof glass. Trafalgar paused briefly to get his bearings. While it did seem like Doflamingo was more intent on getting rid of him now instead of keeping him around, Trafalgar doubted that the older man would do any lasting harm to Law's body. But Trafalgar wasn't sure how Doflamingo would go about getting his spirit to leave Law's. Trafalgar was no longer able to leave the body at will, so he wondered how Doflamingo even thought he would be able to do it himself.

The dark haired man took a steading breath. Kidd. He needed to focus on Kidd, and getting to him as fast as he could, and as quickly as his legs were able to carry him. It angered Trafalgar that he had to be wary of his own traps, and that it was slowing him down, and leaving more time between Doflamingo's warning and him arriving back at the control room. Fixing his gaze on his destination, Trafalgar took a step forward, intent on speeding things up.

And that was why he was completely unprepared when he was tackled from behind and taken down roughly to the ground.

Trafalgar swore inwardly. He had been so focused on getting to where Doflamingo and Kidd were that he had entirely forgotten about Ace, Marco and Bartolomeo.

Ace, the one who had tackled Trafalgar, rested over his back as he pinned the dark haired man's arms to his side. Ace held the other man down, settling more heavily against Traflagar's back to make a point that the other man shouldn't even think about retaliating. Ace was fairly certain that he would be able to handle the other man if it came to a fist fight, but he'd rather avoid it, since it was Law's body. Ace glanced up at Marco, "Is it Law or the spirit right now?" While Ace didn't think that Law would have ever tried to cause any harm to himself or Luffy, Ace was fairly certain that, if the spirit had been able to, Traflagar would have. Ace had the sudden thought that perhaps Trafalgar had been trying to help Kidd do just that when the red haired spirit had possessed Law's body. Ace's back still hurt after the fact, but he had been lucky the knife hadn't hit any of his vitals. Ace shook the unpleasant thought away, "Marco?"

"It's hard to tell. I'm sensing something else in this warehouse as well." Marco studied Trafalgar silently, before he stepped forward, "Don't let him up just yet. I'll see who it is in a moment."

Trafalgar held perfectly still as Marco came forward, suspicious of the other man's intentions. This was getting worse by the second, and there was nothing he could really do about it. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Trafalgar saw Bartolomeo standing nearby. One against three was a slim chance, and Trafalgar highly doubted he could do anything to get away from the other men unless he surprised them. Which was hard to do when one was pinned down against the ground. Trafalgar furrowed his brow faintly as Marco silently crouched down in front of him and rested a hand over his head, though the dark haired man could barely feel the hand against his hair.

Nothing was said, though after a moment or two of deep concentration and a frown on his face, Marco drew away with a sigh.

"What is it?" Ace asked, shifting his grip when he felt Trafalgar start to move a little bit.

Trafalgar rested his head against the ground and glanced up. He was surprised to meet Marco's gaze, before he watched the man look over him, presumably at Ace, to answer the teen's question.

"Law's in the same position as Eustass. The spirit appears to have become unable to leave his body on its own will. I need for the spirit to want assistance to leave Law's body. I can't force him out, because by now there's no doubt that it would hurt Law's body." Marco chanced a brief peek down at Trafalgar, before he spoke calmly, "Where is Eustass?"

Trafalgar's fist clenched, not really that wiling to converse with someone who wanted to make him leave this body. It was only when the dark haired man knew that he was wasting time and putting Kidd in danger the longer he drew this out, he relented. All the fight that Trafalgar was going to aim Marco's way left him, and he spoke softly, barely audibly, "Joker-ya has him. And I need to get to where he is before he ends up killing Eustass-ya." Trafalgar didn't think that he would be able to handle seeing Kidd actually die before his eyes, instead of having Doflamingo taunt him and pretend that he had killed him. The dark haired man still couldn't believe that Kidd was all right after all of these past weeks.

Marco frowned, thinking that there was more to it than Traflagar was letting on. Marco studied the dark haired man's expression for a moment, "Does Doflamingo know...the two of you that are possessing Eustass and Law's bodies?" There was no answer, but Marco saw it all the same, in the way that Trafalgar looked almost lost, as well as tormented. Marco wanted an answer, as something he's been wondering about for years suddenly clicked, "Is Doflamingo in the same situation as yourself and the other spirit?"

Trafalgar hesitated, then, deciding that it didn't seem to be useful to lie at this point, nodded, "Joker-ya said that he had been in possession of the body he's in now for the past twenty years." Trafalgar didn't notice the surprise in Marco's eyes, as the dark haired doctor had inwardly begun to wonder if he would be able to make a break for it. Trafalgar didn't want to reach the control room and find Kidd dead because he took too long. The only way he saw that was the quickest route was past a nasty barb wire trap laid out in a way that would cut into the skin over and over to cause harm, but not to kill. Trafalgar considered the wire. He had to do something, before Marco or the other two men did something to incapacitate him and prevent him from reaching Kidd.

Marco appeared to have come to some internal decision, because when he spoke, it was oddly serious, "Ace, I do not want either of you anywhere near Doflamingo, if it is the spirit that I'm thinking it is."

Ace sounded offended, "Why not?"

"It's for your own good. It's a battle that you wouldn't want to get involved in." From the sound of it, Marco didn't want to either, but there was something that made him consider the idea all the same.

While the others were still distracted, Trafalgar saw his chance. It was now or never, and if he didn't try, he was going to regret it by the time he reached the control room. With a burst of strength, Trafalgar jerked upright and threw Ace off of him backward, sending the black haired teen stumbling backward.

"Ace! Are you okay?" Bartolomeo questioned, stepping forward to try and seize the dark haired doctor.

Trafalgar avoided the other teen's grasp and darted toward the barbed wire. Setting his jaw at the pain to come, Trafalgar started to traverse it, clenching his teeth as a steady stream of pain started to shoot through his body with each movement he made. But the superficial wounds and pain would be worth it to reach Kidd as soon as was humanly possible. The dark haired man was able to avoid being injured as much as he possibly could with the way the trap was, even if his arms and legs suffered the most tearing and scratching of the wire. Belatedly Trafalgar hoped that none of the barbed wire had been rusty.

Trafalgar faltered mid step when heat came up from behind him, warming up his back. Trafalgar was fairly certain that he hadn't done anything like flamethrowers, no matter how much he liked the idea. Where was the heat coming from?

"Ace, stop!"

It was the freckled black haired teen's doing? Since when the hell could someone start a fire without anything to make one with? Trafalgar dismissed it from his mind as he pushed onward, wincing and tearing more of the fabric of his pants and shirt as he stumbled out of the trap. Wounded by several deeper scratches and tears, Trafalgar swayed in place. Breathing harshly to get himself under control, Trafalgar stumbled onward toward the control room with a limp. Kidd. He had to get to Kidd. Nothing else mattered. Not even being wounded by something meant to harm Doflamingo. Trafalgar needed to get to Kidd, and get the two of them away from Doflamingo. Before the older man could do any more harm than he already had.

-x-

"What now?"Ace asked, still looking annoyed that Marco didn't want him getting into a fight, but now wondering what they were going to do about Trafalgar. He had not expected the dark haired man to do something like that, when it seemed like he was not going to put up much of a fight.

"We find a way around. Those razor wires look nasty, and we don't want to be hurt if we do run into Doflamingo." Marco responded. He appeared to be thinking about something that Trafalgar had said, or not said, but he was quiet as he followed after Ace and Bartolomeo.

"I can help fight too!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't even know you!"

Marco couldn't help but smile faintly as the two teens fell into an argument. Then, his expressions became closed, as he began to sense Doflamingo in the warehouse. While he wasn't as good as Perona when it came to sensing spirits, he remembered every one he did come across. And what Marco was sensing now was strong, and he felt foolish that he hadn't recognized the other man's aura from before.

-x-

Trafalgar shakily headed up the staircase that led to the control room. He was shaking, partially from fear but mostly from the wounds he'd received from foolishly going through the barb wire trap. Which had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, Trafalgar wondered if he was in any shape to even help Kidd, especially if Doflamingo was lurking around. Trafalgar entered the room cautiously, though as soon as he spotted Kidd at the other end of the room, still gagged and bound, his alertness vanished as he started to walk forward.

The dark haired doctor didn't notice that Kidd's blindfold was off, or even take notice of the look that he received from the red haired man. If he had, Trafalgar would have known in an instance that it wasn't his lover in the chair right now, but Eustass.

Trafalgar continued forward toward whom he thought was Kidd, and opened his mouth to speak to him, when a large arm looped around his waist and held him back. Trafalgar's breath caught in his throat, and his gaze darted down and saw the long sleeved shirt arm that was there, covered in scratches. Doflamingo. The dark haired man shivered as Doflamingo's other arm came to rest lightly against his throat, the fingers trailing lightly, gently, along the skin.

"I knew that you would come here. Did you run into some trouble on the way back?" Doflamingo brushed his fingers over the cuts and scrapes caused by the barbed wire, before he pulled the dark haired man backwards to hold up against his chest. The older man leaned over at the same time, turning Trafalgar's head to the side to bring him in for a kiss. Doflamingo smiled into it at the sound of a tiny, almost inaudible moan that Trafalgar let out. The older man chuckled slyly as he turned Trafalgar around to face him, carefully keeping his hands on either of Trafalgar's arms to prevent the other man from trying anything. "Did you really have to become so predictable when it comes to your red haired lover?"

"Leave him alone, Joker-ya." Trafalgar glared at Doflamingo, though he didn't protest the kiss he had just received, nor make any complaints that Doflamingo was touching him, "He has nothing to do with this. Our past only has to do with the two of us. Stop trying to bring Kidd into it." Trafalgar flinched as Doflamingo forcefully steered him backward and over to the other chair in the room. The dark haired man let out a pained gasp as Doflamingo let go of him, one of the older man's hands shoving him hard in the chest so that he fell onto the chair. Trafalgar struggled upright, only to have Doflamingo corner him in it with his larger body.

Doflamingo's face was an angry grimace, as if he were highly exasperated, "You really have become a fool, Law." Doflamingo tightened the one handed grip he now had on Trafalgar, further trapping the man against the chair, "I'm rather disappointed in you. You should know better." Doflamingo reached out with his other hand, curling a few fingers beneath Trafalgar's chin as he leaned in close, "I will use any and all means to get through to you, whether you agree with my methods or not." Doflamingo gripped the dark haired man's chin and kissed him harshly, "Don't play games with me." Doflamingo peeked over at Kidd, and thought that the redhead wasn't as angry as he should have been.

With a grin, Doflamingo turned the chair away so that Kidd could no longer see Trafalgar easily. Doflamingo rested his hands on Trafalgar's shoulders, and spoke smoothly, as if he hadn't just trapped the dark haired man into a corner, "It really is a shame. In the past, I thought you were doing wonderfully in the family, even before we started seeing one another. You were so dark and twisted. It was wonderful." Doflamingo dipped his head down and started lying steady kisses along Trafalgar's neck, smirking when the other man shuddered, "I'm disappointed to finally have figured out why you left to go shack up with that pirate. I guess I should have known, but then again, I didn't think it would actually affect you that much. You never were interested in him in that way anyway. Only me, and your redhead." Doflamingo bit down against one of Trafalgar's collarbones and started to mouth it, intent on leaving a mark. Satisfied when Trafalgar let out a choked moan of pleasure, Doflamingo leaned back and grinned at him, "You protest too much, Law. Do not waste my time." With that, Doflamingo forced the dark haired man's pants off, ignoring the indignant snarl that Trafalgar let out.

Doflamingo shifted so that his pants dropped down as well, and he leaned over Trafalgar again, nipping the side of the other man's neck, "I am willing to let this all slide, you know. After all, you've been making assumptions without knowing the whole truth."

"Don't lie." Trafalgar shook, his scratched up arms lifting, his hands pressing against Doflamingo's chest, "What difference would the truth make? It doesn't change what you have done."

"I'm not lying to you, and no, it wouldn't change what I did back then." Doflamingo smiled faintly, though there was no humor in it, "It would just make you understand why I did it." Doflamingo drowned out any other protest Trafalgar may have made with another kiss, and lifted one of Trafalgar's legs, shoving the other to the side as he pressed up against the dark haired man. Dwelling on the past was not something he was in the mood for right now, so, he would wait to deal with it later. Right now, he would focus on the present, and what he was going to do. Doflamingo smiled, a little humor back in it as he teased the dark haired man, "The two of you already fucked, didn't you? I bet you did him though, since you were on the receiving end the past month and a half." Hearing a faint whimper, Doflamingo chuckled as he whispered against Trafalgar's lips, "Fufufufu. Don't worry, I won't go in dry." Doflamingo shifted and leaned back slightly to dip one hand into his pants pocket, "I do want you to come back with me. The only reason I had you get caught was because I figured I needed an excuse to remove Law from the hospital for a short time." Doflamingo shrugged his shoulders absently, "You're such a stubborn bastard that I figured I needed more time to try and figure out what the hell your problem with me was."

Trafalgar didn't want to hear anymore, and certainly not like this, with Kidd only a few paces away. Trafalgar gripped the arm Doflamingo was using to hold one of his legs up, "Stop it." Stop, before he might actually consider listening. And perhaps even believing the older man.

"I can hear the denial in your voice, Law." Doflamingo responded lightly, uncapping the lube he'd retrieved and slicking himself up with it.

"You are not putting your dick anywhere near me, you son of a bitch. Especially if you're not going to prepare me at all." Trafalgar panted, trembling as he felt Doflamingo lean in close to him again. Trafalgar winced as Doflamingo kissed him and forced his tongue into his mouth, at the same time slick fingers pressed against and into him. Trafalgar squirmed, gasping into the kiss, and biting down when Doflamingo's motions grew rougher.

Doflamingo chuckled darkly as he pulled completely away from Trafalgar, drawing a look of confusion. "Don't worry, I'm not done with you yet." Doflamingo lifted Trafalgar up against him so that he himself could sit down on the chair. Doflamingo tightened the hold he had around Trafalgar's back as the dark haired man tried to move away from his lap. Doflamingo lifted Trafalgar up easily with one arm around his back, smirking as the other man's hands flailed briefly before seizing his shoulders and digging into his skin, trying to shove him away. Doflamingo leaned over and buried his face in the crook of Trafalgar's neck as he bit down and used his other hand to lower Trafalgar onto his lap. Doflamingo whispered against the lightly tanned skin, "Tell me, Law, how did my own personal family problems cause all of this hate you seem to have for me?" Hearing the surprised gasp, Doflamingo pressed up against Trafalgar, and started to shove.

Trafalgar's hands, which had been trying to push Dofalmingo away, dug further into the skin instead to counteract the pain of feeling as if he were being torn in half. The most the dark haired man could manage was a muffled cry as his body was forced to take the other man's member bit by bit. Trafalgar gasped for breath when Doflamingo shoved the rest of the way in, and again began to hate himself as instead of trying to stop the other man, he wrapped his arms around Doflamingo's waist instead as the other man began to thrust.

Doflamingo's tongue flicked out against the piercings on Trafalgar's nearest ear, "Heh, see? I knew you liked it rough. Don't try and fool me. You can protest all you like, but it won't change anything." He pretended that the words he had spoken hadn't been the cause of the gasp. Doflamingo slowed his pace, before stopping altogether as he craned over to rest his head on Trafalgar's shoulder, "Do you want me to keep going?"

"Fuck you." Trafalgar gasped after a moment, acutely aware of the other man's touch even as he clung tighter to Doflamingo, "Right now, you're going to fuck me whether I want you to or not. Don't make it seem like I have a choice."

"Fufufufu. Oh, Law, you do understand, don't you?" Doflamingo commented gleefully, resuming the pace he had set, and driving out another pleasured cry from Trafalgar, "I think we will talk later about your little misinterpretation of the past." He didn't bother to mention to Trafalgar that he had been willing to listen to him when he had been at his mansion the past month and a half. To try and sort out what exactly had gone wrong. But right now, Doflamingo wouldn't be giving the dark haired man a choice. He was going to make a point right now.

Trafalgar, too consumed by what was going on, didn't even think to protest when Doflamingo began to move again. Trafalgar was instead overwhelmed that the older man had finally landed on the exact reason why he'd left him in the past.

And it was really something the dark haired man didn't want to discuss.


	41. Twisted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dubcon/rape warning for this chapter.

Eustass, nearby, had heard everything, and currently felt sick to his stomach, and even more so when he thought about Doflamingo's words to Kidd earlier. The red head struggled in the chair Doflamingo had tied him to, but was unable to free himself, just as Kidd was unable to earlier. Shit. Shit. This wasn't good, at all, and he was still gagged and unable to say anything. He could sense Kidd's faint anger in the back of his mind, but while Eustass felt sort of bad that Trafalgar didn't seem to really want Doflamingo to be screwing him, there was nothing he could really do about it. Eustass grit his teeth around the gag in his mouth, and started to wonder if Doflamingo was going to do what he had mentioned earlier. If he did, Eustass was fucked, literally, and the thought alone scared the crap out of him, for numerous reasons. This was all far more than he bargained for working with Sabo and Koala.

Doflamingo had more or less been ignoring the half hearted protests from Trafalgar, and, just as he felt that he was about to come, stopped. Smirking at the half aware look that Trafalgar was giving him, Doflamingo carelessly pulled out, which caused the dark haired man to issue a sound somewhere between a sigh and groan of protest. Doflamingo stood up, taking Trafalgar with him, and set him down on the ground, facing the chair that Eustass was currently bound to. Doflamingo looked over at Eustass as he reached down and started to trail a hand along Trafalgar's painfully hard member. Doflamingo laughed at the sight, "Well, your body, at least, is telling me that you enjoyed it." Doflamingo ran his hand along absently, until it was too much for Trafalgar.

At this point Trafalgar was beside himself with anger, both with himself and with Doflamingo. Squeezing his eyes shut, Trafalgar let out a faint whimper as Doflamingo's hand started to move over him more quickly, and mutely thrust his hips. But he wasn't going to beg verbally. He knew that was what the other wanted, and knew that Doflamingo wasn't expecting him to in any case, and was going to draw it out longer than he had before.

Dofamingo smiled more widely at Trafalgar's chosen action, as he had been completely expecting the silence, and continued to give the dark haired man a rough handjob. The older man turned his head again, and grinned when he saw Eustass look away. It was a pity, really, because Trafalgar's pleasure strewn face was quite the sight.

Trafalgar let out a relieved whimper when he finally came, trying very hard not to think about how he'd been thrusting faintly into the larger man's hand toward the end. Trafalgar rested wearily on the ground. His ass hurt, and his arms and legs were screaming their protests of having the scratches from the barbed wire jostled. Trafalgar flinched when Doflamingo's hands rested on him, but the older man merely turned him slightly so that he could pull his pants back up. Trafalgar hated that the careful touch was likely genuine, and inwardly cursed the other man for being so at odds with his words and actions.

Doflamingo leaned in close, until his head rested against the other man's for a moment, before he drew back and smiled at Trafalgar, his voice menacing, "I believe I'm going to have to show you how it feels to be powerless again. You seem to have forgotten that it doesn't do you any good to cross me, or anyone in my family. I think you need a reminder, as you've seemed to have forgotten who you're dealing with after all these years."

Trafalgar's eyes widened when he saw Doflamingo turn his head briefly in Eustass' direction, and whispered, "No, don't…" Trafalgar knew that the other man wouldn't listen as soon as he saw the predatory smile, and watched helplessly as Doflamingo rose and walked away from him, and over toward Eustass.

Eustass saw Doflamingo approaching him, but he couldn't do a damn thing to stop the older man, because he was unable to tell Doflamingo that he wasn't who he thought he was. And any muffled protests were likely to amuse the other man anyway.

Shit.

Doflamingo retrieved the blindfold and tied it back over Eustass' eyes, speaking calmly, "You don't need to see one another."

Trafalgar desperately wanted to stop Doflamingo from his current intent, but his body was too wounded and exhausted to do much to actually prevent anything from being done to Eustass. Trafalgar glared at Doflamingo as the older man began to untie Eustass from the chair. The dark haired man was going to kill Doflamingo for this, even if it killed him in the process.

Doflamingo freed Eustass from a chair after another moment of fiddling with the thin rope, before he pulled Eustass roughly away and pinned him face down on the ground, and all but tore the red head's pants down without a moment's notice or hesitation. Doflamingo gripped the red haired man's hips despite Eustass' sudden thrashing and trying to scrabble away from him with his newly freed hands. But Doflamingo held on to Eustass firmly, and, unlike what he had done before with Trafalgar, used only some of the lube and carelessly slipped in two fingers. Doflamingo moved them around slowly, if nothing more than to let Eustass know his intentions. It amused Doflamingo that Eustass was squirming so much, and took a few moments longer to enjoy the obvious distaste the red head had for what was going on. Doflamingo drew his fingers away after a moment, before he gripped Eustass' hips more tightly then before, and pressed up against him. Doflamingo leaned over and smiled against Kidd's back, whispering, "Be a good boy and relax, or this is going to hurt." With a laugh at what was likely some muffled, derogatory curse word from Eustass, Doflamingo forced his way in until he was half buried in the redhead, making Eustass let out a choked cry of pain at the unwanted intrusion.

Eustass could feel Kidd's presence retreat further in the back of his mind, whether from fear or anger, and Eustass would've been furious himself if Doflamingo didn't command his full attention. It was worse then when Trafalgar and Kidd had been having sex with one another, mainly for the fact that Dofalmingo's cock was a hell of a lot bigger than Trafalgar's.

Doflamingo ignored Eustass' futile attempts to drag himself away, until it became clear that it would be a bit of a hindrance. With a sigh, Doflamingo moved his arms from Eustass' hips, one long forearm snaking around the red head's waist, the other hand fisting into Eustass' hair and forcing his head down against the ground. Doflamingo shifted his own hips before he made a sharp movement forward, shoving his member in the rest of the way in, and making the red head make a muffled scream from around the gag. Doflamingo didn't wait for Eustass to get accustomed to the intrusion before he started to thrust, laughing as commented dryly, "You trained your lover to take it well, Law."

Trafalgar painfully began to drag himself across the room, despite how much it hurt with each movement. While it normally might have gotten him off seeing someone else screw Kidd, it was Doflamingo, and instead of an aroused feeling, Trafalgar only felt his gut twist in knots at the sight. It was obvious that Kidd was in pain. Trafalgar came closer until he managed to get his head right next to Kidd's. Shakily, the dark haired man reached out with his right hand to where Kidd's left one was bracing himself against the ground. Trafalgar weakly squeezed Kidd's hand, silently trying to comfort him for the twist of events. And as soon as Trafalgar squeezed the other man's hand, he immediately knew that something was wrong. Instead of the squeeze in return that Trafalgar had been expecting, the redhead merely twitched, his breath coming out sharply from being touched. Trafalgar's eyes widened a fraction as realization struck.

Shit. It wasn't Kidd, like Trafalgar had thought it was.

It was Eustass.

Trafalgar ground his teeth. Kidd must've lost energy, and therefore control, over Eustass' body. Trafalgar ignored Doflamingo laughing at him softly, though the other man did nothing to prevent him from touching the red head, as he was preoccupied with fucking Eustass deeply and painfully.

Eustass let out shuddering breaths around the gag. It was too much. It was too painful. Shaking, Eustass felt the hand in his hair settle more, forcing his head down. The other arm, still around his waist, moved. Eustass bit back what would have been a confused whine as Doflamingo's long fingers closed around his half erect member, teasing it with short strokes of his hand. Eustass closed his eyes tighter beneath the blindfold. Dammit. Doflamingo was making it worse, as well as more humiliating, when the red head noticed he was responding. Eustass squeezed his hands into fists as he felt Doflamingo continue to tear him apart. How Trafalgar ever managed to walk after spending a night with the larger man was beyond him.

Trafalgar saw what Doflamingo was doing with one of his hands, and looked away, deciding to focus his entire attention on Eustass' whimpering, as apparently he was no longer able to scream. Trafalgar rested his head against the ground, and let go of Eustass' hand to rest it lightly against his cheek. Trafalgar ran the back of his fingers along the skin gently. The dark haired man felt the beginnings of guilt when Eustass jerked his head away from his touch. Trafalgar hesitated only for a moment before he shakily curled his fingers again and made a soothing gesture against the other's cheek, before he dropped his hand and wrapped it back around Eustass'. Trafalgar felt Eustass start to move his hand away, until Doflamingo started to thrust more quickly and relentlessly.

With a choked back cry, Eustass squeezed Trafalgar's hand tightly.

Doflamingo noticed the action, and frowned faintly. He'd expected Trafalgar to join in, but apparently he had worn him out too much. Feeling Eustass make a pitiful attempt to pull away again, Doflamingo ran his hand along the red head's member, tongue darting out to lick the other's throat as he breathed, "Now, now. I'm not done with you yet." Wihout waiting, Doflamingo sped up the tempo of his hand.

Doflamingo bit down on Kidd's shoulder as he came, smirking at the twitch it caused the other man, before he relaxed, and pulled back, releasing his hold on Eustass. Leaving the redhead to slum on the ground wearily, Doflamingo went to go retrieve his pants.

Trafalgar quickly let go of Eustass' left hand when he realized that Doflamingo was up and about, if the sound of Eustass letting out a groan of discomfort, or disgust, or both, moments before was anything to go by. Trafalgar let his head rest on the ground, and allowed his whole body go limp. Not too long after, Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's hand fist into his hair, and was unsurprised to find his head being forced up so that they were face-to-face.

Doflamingo made eye contact with Trafalgar before he spoke in a dark tone, "I'm going to go find the exit. When I come back, I want your lover dead, by your hands. Or, we can play a few more games, until you agree to do it. He's nothing but trouble, and you're obviously delusional due to the past and you misinterpretations of events." Without another word, Doflamingo let go of Trafalgar, and walked away.

As soon as the door closed, and the footsteps receded, Trafalgar immediately moved. Like hell he was going to just lie there and wait for the older man to return. Mostly because he was concerned that the other man could convince him to do something, especially after a few 'games' as Doflamingo called them. Trafalgar shuddered, before he started to collect himself. There wasn't much time.

Trafalgar winced but forced himself up after another moment of struggling through the pain in his body. Kidd. Eustass. He didn't care which one it was, though for the moment, the dark haired man was almost glad that it wasn't the man he knew. Kidd would have given him grief otherwise for what he did next. Trafalgar reached over and drew Eustass into his arms, wrapping his arms around his upper back. Eustass was resistant at first, but the longer Trafalgar clung to him, the less resistance Eustass put up, until finally the red haired man broke down and all but collapsed against him. Trafalgar held on, reaching up with one hand to tug the blindfold away, and remove the gag. It was hard for him to refrain from leaning up to kiss Eustass, but he managed, as Trafalgar knew the other man likely wouldn't appreciate it after all that had happened.

Eustass numbly allowed the continued embrace, as he currently needed something to hold onto. If he didn't, the red head felt he would have been curled on the ground, utterly ashamed yet at the same time angry. Eustass' legs shook, and he leaned more heavily against Trafalgar. Eustass felt disgusted that Doflamingo had just forced himself on him, and it didn't even matter that the blond haired man thought that he had been someone else. The older man should never have done it in the first place, as Eustass certainly didn't want him near him at all, and neither did Kidd.

Eustass felt Trafalgar draw away from him, and looked up in time to see the dark haired man take of his shirt, and hold it out to him silently. Eustass took it, equaly as silent, and used the shirt to tidy himself as best he could. He felt Trafalgar get close to him, but saw that the other man had retrieved his pants, and was offering, without any words, to help him back into them. Eustass pulled his pants back on with minimum assistance from Trafalgar, though the red head was grateful for the support, so that he didn't accidently fall over. Eustass moved back as soon as he had his pants in place, and he averted his gaze from the shirtless Trafalgar. The red head was quiet, but took off his jacket and held it out to Trafalgar, unable to meet the other man's eyes. Eustass was furious with the ghost in Law's body, but he was equally angry with the one inside of his head, for what he had just been put through.

Trafalgar shrugged into the jacket, not bothering to zip it up, and reflectively noted that he was wearing something that Kidd had been wearing, even though Kidd was merely possessing Eustass' body. Trafalgar closed the distance between himself and the red head, and wrapped his arms around Eustass' back as he pressed up against his chest. He had been relieved that Doflamingo hadn't harmed Kidd, but this...realizing that it was Eustass and not Kidd...Trafalgar shoved away the direction his thoughts were turning to, and couldn't help but cling more tightly against Eustass. The dark haired man hated that Eustass was merely holding still and doing anything. Either to hold him in return or shove him away. Trafalgar drew away from Eustass reluctantly, but knew that they couldn't linger. Doflamingo would be back, and they needed to be gone from this place before then. Trafalgar spoke softly, "Are you able to walk? We need to get out of here, before Joker-ya comes back."

Eustass lifted his head to briefly meet Trafalgar's gaze, before he dropped it, and nodded. When he noticed Trafalgar reach out a hand toward his shoulder, he flinched away as he spoke roughly, "Don't touch me." It came off more harshly than Eustass had intended, but it had the desired effect, because the dark haired man's hand fell just short of his arm.

Trafalgar was silent, before he dropped his hand to the side and shakily stood up. Trafalgar watched Eustass do similarly, and almost tried for contact again, when a glare leveled on him, as if daring the dark haired man to try after he'd said not to touch him again. Trafalgar looked away, hurt, but knew that it wasn't the Kidd he knew that was with him right now. Trafalgar steadied himself, before his shoulders drooped, defeated and weary. Doflamingo sure had gotten through to him.

Trafalgar looked at Eustass' back. The dark haired man wanted Kidd. Trafalgar wanted to speak to him. To comfort him. To get him to not think about what Doflamingo had done to him. Trafalgar watched Eustass limp away. The dark haired man hesitated for a moment, before he followed. As he walked, Trafalgar knew that it wasn't Kidd that needed to be comforted.

It was Eustass that needed to be reassured.

Trafalgar dropped his gaze again as Eustass sent another glare over his shoulder at him. From the redhead's actions and earlier words, it was quite clear that any comfort that Trafalgar might have tried to provide him with was unwanted.

-x-

Doflamingo was displeased but not at all surprised that neither Kidd nor Trafalgar were in control room when he returned. The older man smiled unpleasantly. It seemed like he had received an answer from Trafalgar. It wasn't the one that he had wanted, but he was perfectly fine with making do with what he had. Doflamingo had other ways of getting through to the dark haired man, but he knew what he had to do if he was even going to make the slightest bit of progress. Get Kidd out of the picture, and clear up any of the misconceptions that had been made about what had happened in the past.

The blond haired man turned and left the room, and made his way back to the exit, where he had no doubt that Trafalgar and Kidd would be making a beeline for. Doflamingo wasn't going to allow either of them to escape, especially not Trafalgar. Doflamingo had made up his mind with what he wanted to do regarding Trafalgar and figured that he needed to get going before he completely lost any hold he had over the dark haired man.

-x-

Marco, Ace, and Bartolomeo miraculously made it to the exit, unscathed, at the same time Trafalgar and Eustass forced their way out of the doors.

Marco came to a complete halt at the sight of Doflamingo pursing them, though it was mainly due to what he was sensing, and not the fact that it was Doflamingo. Marco tensed up slightly when he saw Doflamingo slow down and turn his head to regard him.

A short silence passed between them, before Doflamingo offered a knowing grin and shouldered and forced his way out of the warehouse as well, continuing his pursuit of the other men.

"What was that about?" Ace wondered aloud, furrowing his brow and watching Doflamingo start to pursue a car speeding away. He could even hear the older man's laughter.

Bartolomeo, still not believing his luck at all the time he was able to spend with one of the people he idolized, seemed to not register the question.

Marco did, and though he didn't answer Ace's question, his eyes did widen faintly, when he realized that Doflamingo's aura really was familiar. Marco watched Doflamingo until he was lost from view. Marco broke into a run as things clicked into place in his mind. He finally remembered where he had felt the unpleasant aura that was coming from Doflamingo.

It was one that he had been tracking for far too long, and lost sight of many times. He wouldn't let it slip by again.

-x-

Doflamingo ran after the car, knowing that he could keep up, as he had the stamina to do so. Plus, the older man was certain of where Trafalgar and Kidd were headed. The only place he expected them to run to. The port. Part of it was barely in use, and the blond haired man knew it would be the area the two men in the car were going to. Doflamingo leered at the car. They would find themselves with nowhere to run, so he didn't even know why Trafalgar was even bothering.

The older man ignored the fact that Marco was running after him, mainly because he knew he could outpace him. Marco was something Doflamingo would have to deal with sooner or later, but decided it was far more important to make sure that Trafalgar didn't slip away, again.

-x-

At the port, Trafalgar parked the car and immediately ditched it. He had thought it was a laugh for Doflamingo to teach him how to drive one, but it had actually turned out to be very convenient. But now he was uncertain about what to do or where to go, because it seemed that Doflamingo had been toying with him and had never really planned on getting rid of him. But where could he go, now that he knew that Doflamingo wasn't going to stop? What would happen once the drug in his system wore off and Law could try and regain control of his body?

"Dammit, you stupid son of a bitch! This is not something I ever wanted to be involved in!" Eustass growled irritably as he got out of the car himself to go after Trafalgar. Eustass was only going along with this because he did not want to be alone if Doflamingo managed to catch up with them. And Eustass wanted to have some choice words with the ghost possessing Law's body, to demand what in the fuck was going on.

_'Leave him alone.'_

Eustass came to a halt, drawing the dark haired man's attention. Unfortunately, Eustass decided he had to deal with Kidd first, and then the other man. "Don't you even think about taking over my body again, you fucking asshole." Eustass snarled, and was rather surprised that Kidd didn't have an immediate comeback. At least, not a verbal one. Eustass squeezed his eyes shut as he fell into an internal argument with Kidd, after the other redhead had metaphysically punched him.

Trafalgar hung back, waiting. If Kidd was going to try and take over Eustass' body again, that was fine with him. The dark haired man still felt some lingering guilt about Eustass being raped by Doflamingo, especially when he had nothing to do with their past. Guilt was something that Traflagar didn't want to dwell on, so having Kidd to deal with would be far better for the time being.

Trafalgar didn't have to wait long.

Kidd opened his eyes to look at Trafalgar, before he limped a few feet over to the other man and hugged him. Pointedly ignoring the helpless, barely there laugh that emitted from his lover, Kidd spoke, "Are you all right? What was that bastard talking about?"

Trafalgar looked up at Kidd, before leaning up against him and hugging him back tightly, "It...it doesn't have anything to do with you. I don't want to...think about it..."

Kidd was about to say he didn't give a damn one way or another so long as Trafalgar could stop looking so glum, when a highly amused laugh rang out, accompanied by a voice that was cold and not at all matching the laughter.

"Ah, isn't that cute? Run away and then cuddle with your lover? Is that really how you're going to cope with what happened in the past?" Doflamingo walked forward, wearing a grin, "I might get a little jealous if you don't finish what you started with me."

Trafalgar reluctantly let go of Kidd, and stood his ground. He knew that he and Kidd were at a disadvantage. They had chosen a rather perilous place to stand. Their backs were to a twenty-five foot drop into the sea, and they had no weapons. Trafalgar didn't even bother to run, as there was no hope he or Kidd could outpace Doflamingo, injured or not.

Doflamingo chuckled, his thoughts running similar to Trafalgar's, "There's nowhere left to run. Quit making this so difficult, Law."

Kidd was about to make a remark about Doflamingo completely dismissing him, when Trafalgar suddenly collapsed. Kidd's attention immediately went to the other man to see if he was all right, and it was a mistake the red head knew that he shouldn't have made.

The momentary distraction was all the time that Doflamingo needed, as he immediately rushed forward. Reaching out, Doflamingo seized Kidd by the throat and hoisted him aloft so that they could briefly make eye contact with one another. The blond's lip curled. While he would have loved to taunt Kidd some more, this was a perfect opportunity to rid himself of one of his problems, "Law is mine. He always has been." Laughing at the glare, Doflamingo threw Kidd off the cliff and backward into the churning waves.

As soon as Kidd hit the water, he attempted to keep his head above the churning sea water. Kidd's scrabbled frantically with his hands, panic setting in as the pond began to surface in his mind. Not being able to breathe. Not knowing if he was going to be able to get the air he so desperately needed. The waves battered him round, and after a brief struggle, Kidd went under. The redhead tired to hold his breath, but as the panic set in further, he lost track of what he was doing. Salty sea water forced its way into his mouth, and Kidd uselessly reached up for the surface that was getting further and further away.

_'What the hell are you doing?!'_

Kidd barely heard Eustass' voice as his movements became less coordinated, and he started fade towards consciousness. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe with the water forcing its way into him. Like the day he had died in the pond. Couldn't breathe. Kidd soon became deaf to Eustass' own panic, as he fell further into his own mind, to the point that Eustass was unable to take back control of his body. Kidd went limp, barely conscious, and his thoughts strayed toward Trafalgar, and how he had not been able to protect him from Doflamingo after all.

Eustass felt Kidd lose consciousness soon afterward, and felt darkness closing in all around him, _'Fuck! Don't you dare die! I don't wanna be a ghost too!'_

-x-

"Eustass-ya!" Trafalgar forced himself upright, the dizziness he had been feeling gone in a moment of panic when he realized that Kidd couldn't swim, even in Eustass' body. Trafalgar stepped toward the edge of the small cliff, intent on going after the redhead, "Kidd!" Trafalgar didn't manage to get very far, as Doflamingo turned and seized him around the waist. Trafalgar fought against the other man's hold on him, but wore himself out. The barbed wire cuts to his body, as well as Doflamingo wearing him out by fucking him earlier, had tired him out completely. Still Trafalgar stared at the waves that Kidd had vanished beneath, even as Doflamingo's hold settled around him more closely, and Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's breath as it tickled the top of his head.

The older man's voice had taken on a tired edge, "Don't fight, Law. It's useless."

Trafalgar thought that he may be right, especially when he felt the pinprick against the side of his neck. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about Law for another week, but right now, he almost wished the other man would take control. Perhaps Doflamingo would stop tormenting him then. Trafalgar was already confused enough as it was.

"Law."

Trafalgar closed his eyes as he felt Doflamingo gently tug him backward, away from the sea. The dark haired man was about to just give up hope of trying to save Kidd, when he heard Doflamingo let out a pained grunt, before he let go of him altogether. That was unexpected, and Trafalgar took the chance he'd been given. The dark haired man glimpsed the sight of Marco with blue flames coming off of him, or so it seemed, before Trafalgar turned his attention to the sea. He was focusing on Kidd now. With a shaky breath, Trafalgar jumped in after Kidd, hoping he could reach his lover. Hoping that the redhead would manage to hold on just long enough for him to reach him.

Trafalgar winced as sea water started to make his numerous cuts begin to sting. The dark haired man pushed through the new pain settling in his body, but even now, he knew that with the state the body was in, he doubted he could save Kidd, let alone himself. Most likely Trafalgar would only be joining Kidd in death, but he would try to reach him, regardless.

Trafalgar was capable of trying to help this time, unlike in the past, when he'd been dying.


	42. Motivation

Kidd was fading, and fading fast, and was so delirious with the lack of oxygen getting to his brain that he was uncertain whether he'd imagined himself being shoved gently in the back. It was an odd sensation, but Kidd wrote it off as nearly being completely gone. He couldn't remain awake for much longer. As he blacked out, he thought he felt someone's hand close around his wrist. But even then, Kidd wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him instead.

And then he was gone, unsure whether he would be waking up, or finding himself dead, again, and perhaps even alone.

'Trafalgar...'

Eustass cursed as Kidd's consciousness drifted, and what Eustass saw made him uncomfortable. Mainly because Eustass wanted nothing more than to feel anger toward the spirits that had drawn him into this mess. He didn't want to feel sympathy or even pity for them, but Eustass felt it all the same as Kidd blocked out the present and hid himself in his memories.

And Eustass was forced to go along for the ride.

_'Shit.'_

-x-

"Kidd?"

The red head started at being addressed, and looked around, panicked, until he realized that he wasn't in the water and drowning. Calming himself with a few deep breaths, Kidd turned to who had addressed him, "Killer?"

His crewmate was giving him a look, Kidd knew it, from behind the mask he wore. The blond haired pirate shook his head at his captain, "That's it. You are not having any drinks today if you're this out of it already. I don't care if you're interested in that guy we hauled up out of the water earlier or not. You need to be on your guard. Who knows what that one has in mind? He's been staring at you all day."

Kidd gave his friend a blank look, "What are you talking about?" He wasn't going to mention that he'd imagined himself drowning, as Killer would take the opportunity to stress that he should learn how to swim.

Killer hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the nearest mast, where a dark haired man was lounging up against it, looking distinctly unimpressed at the activity going on around him, "Him. The one that was nearly half drowned. Though it appears like he's perfectly fine now. He certainly has a sharp tongue on him, in any case."

Kidd looked at the indicated man, and felt something stir inside of him. The dark haired man looked familiar, but…but Kidd couldn't place him. It was frustrating, that he didn't recognize him like he thought he ought to have, but then again…Kidd returned the man's faint smirk with a leer of his own. It didn't seem to matter whether or not he knew him. He seemed intriguing in any case, but Killer was right. No drinks, especially if he was going to hallucinate about drowning while standing in the middle of his ship on the deck, and perfectly dry and not in any way in danger of dying.

"Kidd?"

"Hm?" Kidd glanced over at his crewmate, who he knew was likely to be giving him another look. The red head let out an exasperated sigh, "Okay, okay. I'll take care of it." Kidd turned to his nearest crewmates, "Oy, you lazy bastards. Go put our 'guest' down in the brigs. I'll deal with him later."

There was general laughter from the rest of the crew as they watched the two men Kidd singled out lead the obviously reluctant dark haired man down below deck.

Kidd watched them go, if only because he had liked the more obvious smirk that the man had given him. It affected his body more than Kidd thought it would, as did the urge to drag the unknown male to his cabin and screw him into the small twin bed the redhead had wrangled onto the ship, and keep going until he got the other man screaming. Kidd blinked. Where had that come from? He didn't know the man, so why was he…?

"Kidd."

Giving his head a light shake, Kidd tuned into Killer's words, all the while thinking that something wasn't quite right.

-x-

Nothing of note really happened the rest of the day, and Kidd was relieved to get back to his cabin for a good long rest. Perhaps he could wash away the unpleasant memories of the imagined drowning, no matter how realistic it had seemed. The thought, however, was lost to him as Kidd shut the door behind him and was greeted by the sight of the dark haired man sprawled provocatively on his back on the bed, and dressed only in pants; his shirt seemingly vanished into thin air. Kidd shifted where he stood, aware that he was quickly becoming turned on at the sight.

The dark haired man's smirk grew, and he settled against the bed further, completely at ease, "Like what you see?"

Kidd wanted to say yes, but wasn't going to give in that easily. Besides, what the hell was up with the other man? What did he think he was doing? Kidd was slightly uncomfortable, mainly because he was not used to being on the receiving end on someone flirting with him.

The dark haired man's lips quirked further in amusement at the sight of the obvious bulge in the red head's pants, "I'd say you are. Are you so desperate for a fuck that you'd do some stranger you pulled out of the water?" The man's voice made it seem as if he were displeased that he had been rescued at all, but his actions made it clear that he was not adverse to thanking Kidd all the same.

Kidd couldn't help himself. That sounded like an invitation to him, and Kidd wasn't one to pass up an opportunity when provided to him. He headed toward the bed at a slow prowl, carelessly dropping his jacket, and shrugging out of the unbuttoned shirt. Kidd allowed it to drop to the ground as he reached the bed, and slid out of his boots as he rested his hands on the bed and leaned toward the other man with a smile, "I'm Eustass Kidd. And if you tell me your name, we won't be a strangers anymore, will we?"

The dark haired man looked surprised, as if not expecting that. He had been entirely prepared for Kidd to just make a move on him, and not waste any more words on a stranger. The faint look of unease left the dark haired man, and he smiled again. He was amused at Kidd's attempt at levity, and appeared to appreciate not being set upon straight away without any introductions. He shook away troubling thoughts of the not so recent past, and the wide grin of the man that accompanied his thoughts. Instead, he focused on the red head, Kidd, and was further intrigued. He had thought he'd have a little fun before taking another dip in the water, and not be pulled out again, but...

"Trafalgar Law." The dark haired man said quietly, as he settled on the bed more comfortably. He had thought he would be ending things today, as Doflamingo had certainly seen to it that something that had kept him sane was now gone. Lost to him forever. And Doflamingo didn't seem at all sorry for what he had done. Law thought he had wanted revenge, for what had been done in plain sight, but it had fled him the longer he thought about it. Finally, Law had decided it would be better to end things, before Doflamingo could get his hands on him again. Without someone to stand up for him, Law wasn't sure he would have been able to handle the older man's advances for much longer. And Law had been afraid of what would happen, because of the thought that he wouldn't complain if Doflamingo finally did bring him back to him.

Kidd blinked, half at what had been said, and half at the sight of the dark haired man looking lost, and a little more than unnerved at his own thoughts. Kidd focused on the name. He had heard of the other man after all, it seemed. Kidd slid onto the bed, and closer to the dark haired man, until they were almost touching, "As in, the Surgeon of Death? The man who gets away with murder because his alibis are tight, and his work as a surgeon are unequalled to anyone?"

"Ah, it seems that my name has spread after all." Law commented blandly, as he looked Kidd over, and tired to force his mind away from what had happened, "I didn't know that it would reach pirates. You all are drifters, after all, and my...work...is restricted to this city we're near." Law locked eyes with Kidd, "But that's all in the past now." The dark haired man ran his fingertips along Kidd's muscled chest, "Why don't we focus on the present?"

Kidd noticed something beneath the other man's obvious lusty gaze, but couldn't place it. But the redhead could see it in his eyes. There was a dull, almost haunted look to them, as if something had happened. Kidd dismissed it. It wasn't his problem. Besides…Kidd reached down and cupped the other man's crotch, grinning when the other man pushed up against him, "I'll have you know, I like it rough. No one usually lasts more than one night."

An gleam appeared in Law's eyes, one of challenge. The dark haired man's lips curved as he looked the red head over again, "I can believe that." Law reached up and slid a hand along one of Kidd's arms, his eyes losing that light briefly as something seemed to take over. The dark haired man wrapped his arms around Kidd's back, and he spoke, "I want you to prove it to me then. Make it so that I don't have to think."

Kidd heard an edge of pain in the other man's voice, and felt the need to do just that. There was some kind of crushing loneliness and pain in the other man's voice, as if he'd lost something important, and Kidd didn't like it one bit. So, he did as Law asked, and made sure that the other man had no time to think about whatever was troubling him.

And in return, Kidd found that the other man was as twisted as he was, enjoying the roughness and the pain.

Yet through it all, Kidd felt like there was something he was forgetting.

Something important.

-x-

The waves battered Trafalgar's body as he went under, but through sheer willpower, forced himself into movement. The dark haired man's hands went before him, feeling around, until he clasped one of his hands around a wrist. Trafalgar squinted through the murky water at what he had grabbed, and felt relief. It was Kidd, but he was motionless and limp. Renewed panic went through him as Trafalgar tightened his grasp around the red head's wrist. Apparently, the ability to swim  _didn't_ translate to the body that he possessed, like the dark haired man had thought earlier.

Trafalgar pulled the other man toward him, and wrapped his arms around him tightly. Trafalgar wasn't going to let go. He tried to bring to the both of them to the surface, but found that he just didn't have the strength to do it. Law's body just couldn't handle it, and the dark haired man knew that it was useless. Trafalgar squeezed his arms around Kidd, silently apologizing to the man for having to go through drowning again. Trafalgar felt his grip weakening, and panicked further when he lost the battle to hold his breath, and water started to force its way into his body. Tired, he was so tired. He didn't want things to end this way.

As Trafalgar was about to fade out of consciousness, he felt something seize him, as well as Kidd. A strong, unrelenting grip. Trafalgar didn't struggle as he was pulled along through the water with Kidd. He was too exhausted to even attempt something like that. But...Trafalgar was aware enough to be confused. Someone was helping them? But who? Trafalgar's vision started to waver as his eyes slipped shut, and his body went limp. The grip of the unknown rescuer had tightened, as if it weren't going to let go of the dark haired man under any circumstance. It confused Trafalgar, but he felt reassured by the presence of whoever was pulling himself and Kidd toward the surface.

And then, quite suddenly, Trafalgar found himself on solid ground, and choking out water as he wheezed in grateful gasps of air.

"Hey, they're over there Marco!"

Trafalgar groggily tried to make sense of what had just happened. Hadn't Marco or Ace or even Bartolomeo pulled them out of the water? If not, then who…?

As if in answer to his unasked question, Trafalgar felt the sensation of a hand gently ruffle his hair, before it was gone. The dark haired man's eyes flew open, and he tilted his head to the side. There was no one there to explain what he had just experienced. The only one there was an unresponsive Kidd, and Marco, who was headed toward him along with the two teens.

Trafalgar coughed. That sensation of the hand...it had felt so familiar...

Doflamingo wasn't in sight either, so then who had...?

Trafalgar let out a gasp. It couldn't be…

Trafalgar's thoughts were broken as someone tried to pry his grasp from Kidd, and the dark haired man refused to relinquish his grasp, weakly tightening his grip as he protested, "No." Trafalgar would not let go of Kidd, even when he felt the same someone try to pry his hand away again. The dark haired man made another sound of protest. No, they weren't going to take Kidd away from him. Trafalgar had almost lost him again, and would have, if he had not received some unexpected help.

If it was who Trafalgar thought it was, then he wasn't sure if he was ready to see that particular person.

If he could ever see him again.

For the time being, Trafalgar desperately tried to hang on to Kidd's wrist.

Eventually, someone did manage to pry his hand away, and Trafalgar couldn't do anything to protest but for faint twitch of his hand, as he was too busy sucking air into his lungs to do much other than that. When his breath was more or less under control, Trafalgar forced himself upright, and dragged himself the short distance to where Ace, Marco, and Bartolomeo were around Kidd, who was lying on his back. Trafalgar hesitated when he spotted Doflamingo nearby, until he realized that the man was handcuffed and unconscious. Good. Trafalgar would deal with him later. "Eustass-ya." Trafalgar dragged himself the rest of the way to Kidd's side, and when it seemed that Ace was going to try and stop him, Marco interceded. Trafalgar watched the short haired blond pull the freckled teen aside to speak to him in a low tone. Ace didn't appear to be too happy with what he was being told, but Trafalgar didn't particularly care.

Trafalgar settled down next to Kidd, and glanced his chest. Relief flooded through him, when he saw the shallow rise and fall of the other man's chest. Alive. Kidd was alive. Trafalgar chanced a glance up at Marco. The dark haired man supposed that what happened to them next would depend the Marco. Trafalgar couldn't read the other man's expression, but supposed that there wasn't much he could do no matter what happened next.

-x-

Marco shook his head, "At least the two of you haven't consumed the souls of the people you're possessing." Marco shook his head again, "But in a way, this all worked out, because I was able to find the spirit that had been responsible for driving a man I knew to madness twenty years previously, and killing several people who worked for Whitebeard, before he'd been stopped." Marco looked like he wanted to say more, but hesitated, and instead indicated the prone Doflamingo, "He put up quite a fight, but since he taken over the body he was in, and can't have anyone banish him, or leave the body himself, I was at least able to stop him." Marco sighed wearily, "If nothing else, I can at least expose Doflamingo to the world for what he is."

Trafalgar smiled at that, "I'd rather just kill him." The dark haired man turned his attention to Kidd, and furrowed his brow wearily, "Why isn't he waking up?"

"He won't, unless something is done. Something in his past has caused him to shut himself in the body, and prevented the other Eustass from regaining control." Marco watched as Trafalgar reached out to shake Kidd's shoulder, "That won't help."

Trafalgar grabbed a handful of Kidd's shirt as he buried his face against the redhead's neck and collarbone, "Eustass-ya." Trafalgar received no response other than soft breathing.

Doflamingo didn't appear to be a threat anymore, so why wasn't Kidd waking up? He hadn't drowned, so why wasn't he answering him?

Ace turned to Marco, ignoring Trafalgar's attempt to wake Kidd, "What are you gonna do about the ghost in Law's body?"

"We can't do anything other than wait for the two spirits to agree to leave their living counterparts. We'll have to keep them with us for the time being. I will meet with Perona and Hawkins to discuss our options."

Trafalgar, when urged to his feet, went along with the others easily enough. So long as he was able to stay as close as possible to Kidd as they got into the car. As Marco drove, Trafalgar told himself inwardly, over and over that Kidd would wake up and still be Eustass that he knew.

One week later…

Trafalgar was seated in a chair next to Kidd's hospital bed, and the dark haired man fidgeted with the sheets for the umpteenth time. There were no side effects from nearly drowning, and Trafalgar had mostly healed from his injuries that he'd received from the barbed wire. There are some downsides, however. Kidd had not woken up at all, and Law was back in his mind, taunting him as soon as he grasped the situation.

Trafalgar reached out a hand to hold Kidd's nearest one, and held it tightly. The dark haired man was aware that Marco had tried to engage him in conversation several times, but Trafalgar just couldn't focus on anything other than Kidd. Trafalgar settled his upper body and the bed, half dozing while he kept his hand clasped around Kidd's, unaware that some people outside of the room discussing something as they watched him.

Trafalgar woke several hours later to find Marco in the room, and was immediately suspicious, "What do you want?"

Marco noticed the suspicion, but spoke anyway, "I don't approve of what you and the other spirit have done, but I do not like to see this kind of thing. Since you helped me find the spirit have been looking for for quite a long time, I will help you out. In exchange for this, however, you and the other spirit will have to accept my help to leave the bodies of those you are possessing." When there was no forthcoming denial from Trafalgar, Marco continued, "Close your eyes." Marco saw the skeptical look he was being given, and added, "Do you want Kidd to wake up?"

Trafalgar glanced at the slumbering red head, before his shoulders slumped, and he reluctantly closed his eyes. He did want Kidd to wake, more than anything.

"You have to be quick, otherwise you won't be able to bring the Eustass that you know back. You need to get Kidd's attention, but there is likely going to be another Law, a manifestation, that Kidd might be using to avoid the potential of drowning again. Are you ready?"

Trafalgar nodded, thinking that Marco was crazy, until he opened his eyes and realized with a jolt of surprise that he was back in Kidd's house. The dark haired man stood motionless for a moment, before he heard voices. Trafalgar drifted in the direction of the sound, and found his red haired lover, who was talking to another Law. Trafalgar sighed. This was going to be tricky. It just figured that Kidd would be delusional enough to come up with something like this, and make things more difficult than they really needed to be.

Trafalgar heard Marco's voice echoing in his mind.

_'You have a time limit. If Kidd slips too far away in his memories, you will lose him for good.'_

Trafalgar felt a chill race down his spine, but shook it off as he spoke hesitantly, "What is the time limit?"

Marco responded calmly,  _'If the Law that is there with you dies, you'll have to stop Kidd from doing anything stupid, and get him to come back to reality. If he sails away on his ship too far, or does something to end his life in this suspended reality, you will not be able to bring him back. Before that happens, try to get through to him. Keep your emotions reined in, no matter what you see.'_

Marco's voice vanished altogether, and Trafalgar was left alone to try and catch Kidd's attention.

It proved far more difficult and time consuming than Trafalgar had expected, and it didn't help that he was invisible to the very person he was trying to help.


	43. Memories

**__**__Kidd was nervous.

That didn't happen every day, and it didn't help that Law seemed to be entirely too entertained by his sudden anxiousness as they came to a halt before a house. Kidd had been automatically walking to it as he attempted to ignore Law getting closer and closer to him, and decided that, after a few sly touches on the other man's part, that he needed to get them inside somewhere. Kidd somehow doubted that Law would care one way or another if they ended up jumping one another in full view of other people, but...

"You have a house in this city?"

Kidd checked the dark haired man's expression, and noted that while Law was still smirking at him, his tone of voice had grown a little darker. Kidd withheld a shiver and fumbled with the key to the house as he tired to unlock it, "I never said that I didn't have somewhere to live other than my ship." Kidd managed to get the door unlocked after a few tries, and made it in before Law could sneak any closer to him from behind. Kidd entered the house a few steps, and wasn't surprised to hear the door shut and lock before Law was suddenly there and up against his back.

Law pressed closer to the red head's back, his smirk further darkening as he felt the other man tense up ever so slightly. Law slipped a hand up beneath the other man's heavy fur coat, and teased the skin that was there with his fingertips, "You've been having me go to your ship for the past six months when you've had a house and no audience all along?" The dark haired doctor pinched some skin, "Or is this a recent buy?"

"I've had it. Just didn't think about it." Kidd mumbled, reaching one of his hands down to stop Law's progress. The red head felt Law press up against him even closer.

"No wonder you had heard about me then. Do you come here often?"

"Just when I need a break from the crew for a few days. Killer will keep an eye on them." Kidd responded, and turned around when he realized that Law had backed off a bit, "Trafalgar?"

Law looked Kidd up and down, his eyes taking in the other man slowly, before his lips quirked further, "And are you going to be keeping an eye on me, Eustass-ya?"

"Why do you think I brought you here? I don't need the rest of my crew to hear any screaming." Kidd grinned lazily as he closed the distance between them, and had Law up against the nearest wall of the house before the other man could even think to react. Kidd indulged in a kiss that he had come to enjoy over the past half year. When he had had Law pulled from the water unexpectedly, Kidd had never imagined that he'd get a lover out of the deal. Kidd winced slightly as Law bit into the kiss, and merely kept a firm grip on the back of the other man's head. Nor had Kidd expected to find someone who was just as twisted as he was, that enjoyed playing dangerous games.

Law let out a breathless gasp as Kidd lifted him up and carried him toward a small door, "You don't have a bedroom?"

"Oh, I do, but this is gonna be much more fun. Especially since you get off on causing me pain." Kidd responded as he opened a small door and, stooping, headed down the stairs.

Law trailed a few fingers along Kidd's jaw, his eyes glittering in the dim light, "Sounds interesting."

"I know you'll like it. I don't normally show people the room. It usually upsets them when I do." Kidd leaned into the light touch, his eyes half closing at the sensation.

"You're making me curious." Law commented, and tilted his head to allow Kidd to kiss him.

Kidd smiled against the dark haired man's lips, "I know. That's the point." Kidd crossed the cellar floor and opened the next door, "I think you're the only one who'll appreciate what I have down here..." As Kidd went into the room, he didn't hear a faint, echoing voice calling out to him.

Almost pleading, as it asked him to wake up.

-x-

Trafalgar didn't bother to go downstairs. He knew what had happened the first day that he and Kidd had come to the redhead's house. Instead, Trafalgar waited for another opportunity to try and garner Kidd's attention. It came the next day, but once again, Trafalgar's attempts were foiled as Kidd kept his attention wholly on the other Law.

The dark haired ghost watched in frustration as the days, weeks, and then months started to slip by, and became a blur.

No matter how hard he tried. No matter how much he yelled and scolded and yelled some more, Kidd still didn't hear him. Or see him. His red haired lover only had eyes for the other Law, and Trafalgar couldn't help but become increasingly exasperated, as well as a little jealous, that Kidd was being so stupid, and was, frustratingly enough, being a bit more promiscuous than Trafalgar remembered him being in their past.

Trafalgar snorted at the sight of Kidd pinning the other Law down on the couch and starting an impromptu make out involving a lot of kissing and hand grabbing. Traflagar looked away, even if he was turned on by the thought of being overpowered by Kidd on occasion, and went to sulk in the front hall as he waited yet again for another opportunity.

-x-

Trafalgar watched Kidd go through his days, and even as the days added up, the dark haired ghost knew that Kidd was reliving their past, with some embellishments of the red head's own making. Trafalgar attempted to get Kidd's attention, but as more time passed, Trafalgar couldn't help but stop and watch as he remembered most of it as the days continued to go by.

It was painful, watching Kidd go on as if he had never died in the first place. As if their two shared years together had never interrupted by being torn apart, both by Doflamingo and by those who had come and killed Trafalgar in the end.

It hurt, because Trafalgar knew that he was running out of time, but found that he couldn't help but watch Kidd and the other Law be happy, even if the dark haired ghost knew that it wasn't going to last.

Couldn't last.

It was almost too much, and by the time Trafalgar really started to try and get Kidd's attention, he knew that his time was almost up. Trafalgar knew that the time was going to start ticking by faster, because the day of both their deaths had arrived, but something was different.

It wasn't at all going how Trafalgar remembered it.

Maybe it was because Kidd was trying to pull himself out of the past on his own, or maybe because some of his memories of when he was dead were resurfacing, but the red head acted differently than he had on that particular day. Trafalgar was about to redouble his efforts to get Kidd's attention, when he was completely thrown off by what Kidd was saying to the other Law.

Trafalgar held perfectly still as he listened, and as he did, the dark haired ghost felt a strange stirring inside of him, a longing do just as the red head was suggesting. What Trafalgar would've done in a heartbeat, should Kidd have brought the topic up while they had still been alive. Trafalgar realized what he was doing, but he just couldn't help it when he saw the other Law react as he would have.

-x-

Kidd woke up in a panic, like he had while he was on his ship months earlier. The sensation of drowning, and being unable to breathe. Kidd startled slightly when Law touched his shoulder, and he looked at the dark haired doctor, not entirely able to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Kidd calmed down marginally when Law teased him a little.

"Having nightmares again, Eustass-ya?" Law asked, running his hand down from Kidd's shoulder to his chest, before dipping lower as he leaned forward and captured Kidd in a kiss.

Kidd shook the unpleasant feeling of drowning when he realized that he was in his house, with his lover, and not drowning, as he had been sure that he had been moments before waking up. Kidd's eyes slipped shut as he joined in on the kiss, smiling when he heard a faint moan issue from the other man.

Law pressed closer to Kidd, letting one of his hands tease Kidd's member as the other one curved beneath Kidd's chin to keep him into a kiss. Law attempted to draw the red head into early morning sex, and was pleased that, even though Kidd was distracted, he seemed to be in the mood.

Kidd flipped them over and pinned Law against the bed, trailing harsh kisses along his collarbone, and then down his chest, his metal limb from months ago resting lightly against Law's taunt, tanned stomach.

Law twisted slightly to grab Kidd again, drawing his hand along at a steady pace, and smirked as Kidd arched into his hand and started kissing the side of his neck as he attempted to get closer.

Kidd allowed himself to enjoy what Law was doing, until he thought he heard someone calling to him. Kidd turned his head to the side, all but forgetting what was going on as he attempted to locate what had just distracted him. It had almost seemed familiar, whatever it was.

"Eustass-ya?"

Kidd frowned. What was it that he was sensing?

Law reluctantly let go of Kidd, and stared up at the other man questioningly, "What's wrong?" Law questioned, when the red head made no movement other then turning his head this way and that, as if he had heard something.

Kidd was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought. The sudden thought of hearing something was pushed aside as another thought sprang unbidden in his mind. Before he could stop himself, Kidd responded, "Is Doflamingo...still bothering you?" His wounds had more or less healed from being attacked by the older man, but it still stung all the same that he had allowed himself to be ambushed in the first place.

Law gave Kidd a confused look, before he spoke, sounding uncertain, "No, he hasn't, but then again, neither of us saw him die." Law looked away, "It doesn't matter either way. If he is still around, I'll have to deal with him again at some point in time. I can't run from him forever. It's not like I have anywhere to go, anyway, that he can't follow."

Kidd was about to let the issue lie, when some memories surfaced, again unbidden, in the forefront of his mind. One in particular was a conversation that he had had with Doflamingo. In what context, Kidd couldn't remember, but it was there all the same in his mind. Probably when the bastard injured him so damn much that he couldn't even put up a fight in return. Kidd was silent for a moment longer, before he directed a question to Law, "Do you have to be a surgeon in this city, or can you work at another one, further away?"

Law frowned in thought, before he gave a light shrug, "I could, but due to Doflamingo, I can't get very far without him knowing what I'm up to. I might try to leave the city now. But whether or not Doflamingo is still alive isn't my biggest issue. It's that I have nowhere to really go, and I have no way of getting anywhere in any case."

Kidd laughed as he rested more comfortably next to Law, propping himself up on his right arm to grin down at the other man, "What the hell? Are you stupid or something? It's like you've forgotten that I'm a captain of a ship."

Law looked up at Kidd with a guarded expression, before he spoke cautiously, "What are you saying?" From the dark haired man's voice, it was clear that Law already knew, and was just waiting for Kidd to confirm it.

Kidd drew Law to his chest in a hug, and spoke against his neck, his breath tickling the other man's skin, "Let's go to the port now. My crew was waiting for me to return anyway. Let's get the fuck out of here before Doflamingo or anyone else comes to try and stop us."

Law could only nod, as if he couldn't find the words to express how he really felt about the idea of getting out of range of Doflamingo's grasp. Not a word passed between them as they dressed, until they were headed for the back door of Kidd's house.

"Ready?" Kidd questioned, his hand on the door.

Law slapped the other man's shoulder lightly, "Yes, let's leave. The sooner we get on your ship, the better."

Kidd smiled at that, "Good." Kidd opened the door and stepped out into the brisk evening air, Law trailing after him. The red head didn't hear the echo of Trafalgar's voice calling out to him. Desperate to reach him, but unable to break through the alternate reality that Kidd had locked himself into. And Trafalgar was unable to do anything but watch helplessly when things started to go very wrong.

-x-

Kidd was pleased that Law had agreed so readily to sail off with him on his ship. He felt foolish for not suggesting it sooner, when Doflamingo had first been pointed out to him as a potential problem. Kidd should have known better than to think that the older man had no interest in him, especially since Law had not exactly been forthcoming with any details as to why Doflamingo had wanted him so badly. Kidd stumbled to a halt at the sound of several gunshots breaking the peace of the evening, and the terrible sound it brought.

Kidd turned to see Law standing rigid, before he swayed on the spot and started to topple over with a gasping breath. Kidd caught him before he hit the ground, and his jaw set at the sight of torn clothing where one or more of the bullets had struck. The red head cursed vehemently as he scooped Law up and ran, stooping automatically as more gunshots rang out, accompanied by angry shouts.

Law coughed, and it sounded wet with blood, and it only made Kidd run faster as he exited his yard and headed for the port. Kidd's hold on the dark haired man tightened at another cough, "Hang on, Trafalgar." Law merely went limp in Kidd's arms as he gasped for air, unable to respond to the other man's words.

It was an agonizingly long time before they finally reached the port, and attempts to stem the blood flow were failing miserably. Kidd had all but torn off his shirt partway to port to press against the gunshot wounds, but felt blood starting to fall against his skin from Law's back, "Shit. Shit." Kidd cursed, and forced himself to move along even faster, his ship now in sight.

By the time Kidd reached his ship, he was out of breath and panting heavily, but he still managed to yell at his crew, "Cast off! We're leaving now." Not stopping to explain himself, Kidd left his crew to carry out his order as he carefully carried Law to his cabin.

Kidd thought he would be able to help, but knew, as soon as he shouldered open the door, that there wasn't really much he could do to make things better.

All he could do was wait and hope that things weren't nearly as bas as they seemed.

Through it all, Kidd didn't notice that Trafalgar was still calling out to him, his desperation mounting as the dark haired ghost realized that he had almost run out of time to bring Kidd back with him.


	44. Shattered

Law was barely breathing by the time Kidd laid him out on the small bed, and the redhead could only watch uselessly as the blood leaked sluggishly out of Law's body from where he'd been shot. Kidd swore, about to go look for something better than a shirt to stop the blood, when he was stopped by Law weakly reaching out and seizing his wrist.

"Don't...bother..." Law gasped out, shakily letting go of Kidd, now that he had the other's attention, "You can't do...anything...hit both...lungs..." Law broke off coughing, struggling for breath before he ran out of it.

Kidd was in denial, but he knew that if the ship had cast out like he had ordered, then Law would be receiving no medical aid. Not that it sounded like it would do any good if the bullets had punched through both of his lungs.

Trafalgar struggled for breath, and spoke brokenly, "I love you, Eustass-ya...know I teased you...about it..." Law took a shuddering breath after he fell into another fit of coughs, his voice distant, "...sorry it...turned out this way." Law's breath came slower and slower, until it stopped altogether, and he lay still.

Kidd stared down numbly at the body of his lover, disbelief evident on his face. He was dead. Law was dead...but he couldn't be. Kidd looked anxiously down at the unmoving body, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. Law had just been breathing moments before. He couldn't be gone. He couldn't be lost to him now. Not after they were finally going to leave behind all their troubles. Kidd felt lost, not entirely sure what to do.

Until the moment Law stopped breathing and was just...gone, Kidd hadn't realized just how much he had begun to center his life around the other man. Kidd knew that he would never be able to be with anyone like he had been with Law, and couldn't imagine life without him now, as pathetic as it seemed to be in his mind. Kidd dimly heard his crew chatting with one another outside his cabin, and he let out a soft, self deprecating laugh. He really was a fool, if this is what he was reduced to. Acting like it was end of the world, while everyone else acted as if everything were fine. That life would continue on whether or not their captain had Law with him or not. They couldn't possibly know how he felt.

Kidd knew that his crew would be fine without him. The redhead knew that Killer would see to it. Kidd knew the other man would not approve of what he was going to do, but Kidd hoped that he would understand either way. Kidd lifted his head to the door when a knock sounded on it, "...Yeah?"

"Where are we headed, boss?"

It was Heat.

Kidd decided that he would wait for his crew to go to sleep, before he did anything that would be considered rash and reckless. "The next city over."

"Got it. I'll let the navigator know."

Kidd waited for the footsteps to retreat, before he turned and carefully pulled the sheets over Law. Covering up the bullet wounds only gave the impression that Law was merely sleeping, and Kidd reached out a hand to run lightly through Law's hair, before he drew the hand back and turned away. Kidd knew that he had to interact with his crew, or they would become suspicious. Maybe even try to talk him out of what he was thinking of doing.

With a heavy heart that he never thought he'd feel, Kidd left Law's body in his cabin as he went to join his crew for dinner. Throughout dinner, he was unusually silent as he dwelled on what he was going to do in the next few hours. Kidd couldn't stand the thought of being without Law, and the more he thought about it, the more resolve he felt to go and end things. He could do it easily by just jumping into the sea. He knew he couldn't swim. His whole crew knew that he couldn't swim. Kidd had never bothered to learn. But the fact that he hadn't would work to his advantage now. If he ended things now, he would be able to see Law again.

Kidd accepted a plate of food automatically, and ate, though he didn't taste it. Not even the expensive, stolen wine. Even though the crew was indulging themselves and no doubt getting drunker by the moment, Kidd couldn't take more than a few sips of the wine, and a few bites of the food. It should have disturbed Kidd more to discover that he had lost the will to live, and so quickly, and that alone had told him just how much in love with Law he had been. He had never even admitted it to Law, but figured that the other man would have merely given him a sly smirk and a knowing look. Kidd got up and left the area, and none of his crew followed.

Except for one.

Kidd didn't even notice his crewmate shadowing his steps at first, as the red head was troubled by the thought that he had never realized just how attached to Law he had become in the two years that they had been together. Shouldering open the galley door, Kidd started to head back to his cabin, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Kidd."

Kidd didn't turn around. He didn't need to. He knew who it was. Even if he was overcome with grief at the loss of Law, Kidd had noticed that the long haired pirate had been watching him silently. Kidd didn't need the other man not to wear a mask to know it. They had known one another long enough that subtle changes in their behavior was instantly picked up on.

"The man you brought on board. Was he the same one who we pulled up on deck two years ago?"

"...yeah." Kidd couldn't bring himself to say anymore, because he didn't trust his voice not to betray him. Killer appeared to pick up on it anyway, so Kidd didn't even know why he bothered trying to keep things hidden. Kidd tensed as a hand rested on his shoulder lightly.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Killer felt Kidd tense up, "Please, don't do anything stupid."

"...I know..." Kidd said, but knew that he was going to do just as his masked crewmate said he shouldn't. Not even Killer could possibly know just how much Law had meant to him, and the red head was frustrated to no end that he hadn't realized it either, until Law was just gone from his life. It would have been better if they had just kept up their occasional romps in bed and left it at that. Never becoming attached to one another, and making it that much more painful when one of them died.

"Don't hold on for too long, Kidd. You'll only hurt yourself more." Killer backed off as a cold glare was turned on him. Killer knew that he was being dismissed, as well as being warned to not interfere. With a shake of his head, Killer turned, "Your choices are your own, Kidd. Just...try to make the right ones." With that, Killer walked away, and back to join the rest of the crew.

Kidd hesitated, before he reentered his cabin to wait, and tried desperately to not just end things in his own cabin. It was stupid, but Kidd felt that if he went into the sea, it would seem more like an accident, than if he were to bleed out in the cabin by his own hand. Kidd waited until he could no longer hear his crew, before he left his cabin a few hours later. In that time, he couldn't bear to look at Law lying lifeless on the bed, because he kept hoping that the other man would wake up. Pretend that nothing had happened. Stop making Kidd worry. Because while the red head hated the weakness, he really couldn't bring himself to care what happened to him now that Law wasn't around any longer. Kidd didn't look back as he closed the door to his cabin behind him.

The red haired captain crossed the deck silently, his eyes closing briefly as he was buffeted by a cool, light breeze. Had he imagined the slight caress of a hand on his shoulder? Kidd opened his eyes and sighed dejectedly as he continued toward his destination. Of course he was imagining things. He still couldn't latch onto the idea that La was gone for good. Didn't want to admit it, because it was just too painful. Kidd came up next to the railing of the ship, and contemplated the sea below. He leaned heavily against the deck railing, and Kidd knew that it wouldn't take much of an effort on his part to tip himself over and into the waves. His crew wouldn't realize what he had done until it was too late to save him, and by then, Kidd hoped that he would be with Law again.

Just as Kidd was about to throw himself over the side, he thought he heard someone calling out to him. It was louder than it had been before. It stopped Kidd on his current path of self destruction, because the faint voice sounded so familiar to him, now that the red head could hear it more clearly. It sounded like...Law. Kidd squeezed his eyes shut as he braced himself against the railing. Why? Why was he hearing Law's voice, when the other man was already gone? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Kidd took a shuddering breath, before he started to tip forward. It wouldn't take much. All he had to do was lift up slightly and lean further over...

Kidd faltered when something collided with his back, and held him away from the railing. Kidd looked down, and even though he saw nothing, he could distinctly feel what felt like arms wrapped around his waist, taut, and they seemed to be holding him back with as much strength as could be mustered. Kidd froze, his emotions in turmoil as he heard a voice, beside itself with desperation, and clearer than before.

_'Eustass-ya! Don't do it! Stop!'_

"Trafalgar…" Kidd sunk to the deck upon recognizing the voice, but still the presence didn't leave him. It seemed only to cling tighter. What was going on? Had Law's ghost come to see him? If so, then why, "Trafalgar, let go of me."

_'Don't...stop it...'_

Kidd shook as he heard the unseen man's voice crack, as if struggling to keep his calm and failing. Kidd tried to move forward, but the presence held fast, preventing him from going anywhere. Kidd's shoulders slumped. If he weren't feeling so depressed he would have been angry. Instead, he was merely dejected and lost, as well as confused. Why did Law want him to stop? Why didn't he let him go, so that Kidd could go join him? Why was Law holding him back? Kidd heard Law's voice again, as if he really were standing just behind him.

_'Please...don't go...don't leave...'_

Kidd couldn't take it anymore. The voice was pleading with him now, and the red head could only take its meaning as trying to stop him from being able to join Law in death. He was imagining things. The voice couldn't be Law's. Law wouldn't prevent him from doing something this foolish, would he? Kidd bit his lip. The voice just had to be the lingering guilt after he had spoken with Killer earlier. The guilt Kidd felt for leaving his crew behind while he acted out of selfishness. Kidd shook the presence off of him as he reached for the railing, he himself feeling desperate, and without a moment's hesitation, Kidd threw himself over the side and into the water below.

"Kidd!" Trafalgar lunged forward, only to have someone stop him. Trafalgar dimly heard something make a clinking sound on the deck, but he was distracted by the solid grip on his arm. The dark haired man turned his head to the side, and froze in place. It was Killer, and the man seemed to be staring at him, despite the mask he wore. At this point, Trafalgar hadn't even realized that tears had started to fall, as he was shocked that Killer was touching him, and apparently, could see him as well.

"...he really  _did_  care that much about you." Killer sounded surprised, yet a little disappointed with Kidd's actions, as he glanced the way his captain had gone over the side of the deck, "I never thought the two of you would actually care to the point of suicide..." Killer let go of Trafalgar, and watched as the dark haired man collapsed to the deck as he folded in on himself. Killer stooped, and picked up a silver and gold ring that had fallen out of Kidd's pocket as he jumped. Killer stared at it silently, before he crouched down next to Trafalgar and held it out to him silently.

Trafalgar took the ring numbly, still not able to believe that he had been unable to reach Kidd. Had been unable to break his red haired lover from the past. From his memories. Trafalgar held the ring tightly in one fist, and it was only then that he realized that he had been crying. Shakily, Trafalgar stood, and headed for the railing, intent on going after Kidd. Maybe he could pull him out of the water, like he had managed to before, with some help from the unseen presence whose identity he knew very well...

Killer glanced to the side, before he quietly stepped away, watching, as someone passed by him and walked toward Trafalgar, who had his back turned on everything except the waves that had taken Kidd from him. Killer turned away, even if he seemed to be saddened about something. He continued to walk, and had Trafalgar looked up, he would have seen Kidd's crewmate vanish.

The ship began to resemble more of a ghost ship as it sailed through the water. The sky, which had been perfectly clear, had started to mist. Sounds of the crew working the ship could still be heard, but there was no one there. No one but Trafalgar, who was staring uselessly over the side of the ship.

Trafalgar watched the waves until they became obscured by the mist, and as the mist started to settle in around him, Trafalgar gave in to the inevitable. He hadn't been in time. Just as Trafalgar was about pitch himself over the railing into the mist covered sea, someone grabbed him from behind, and yanked him backwards.

"What the fuck are you doing, you dumbass?"

Trafalgar stiffened at the snarled query as he was pulled backwards, away from the water, and away from the ship that was sailing through now misty seas. The dark haired ghost found himself starting to lose consciousness. Trafalgar kept a tight hold of the ring in his fist, and focused on the voice that had just spoken to him, as well as the grip someone had around him.

The voice...the touch...

Was it Kidd?

-x-

Marco watched silently as Trafalgar and Kidd woke up simultaneously, and he was unsure of what had transpired in the distorted reality that he had left Trafalgar in. Marco hadn't realized that Trafalgar would be able to slip into the land of the dead on his own toward the end, but it appeared that the dark haired man had been pulled away from there, and back to the living world, either by Kidd or Eustass.

Trafalgar ignored Marco in favor of Kidd, hoping that he had been in time. Hoping that the person that had grabbed him in the weird dream like place had been his lover. The dark haired man was utterly crushed when Kidd looked at him. Trafalgar knew in an instant that this wasn't his Kidd. His Eustass-ya. His lover would have never looked at him like that. Trafalgar looked away as the reality sunk in. He had failed him. He had failed Kidd. The person that was currently looking at him was Eustass, and Trafalgar felt further despair when he realized that Eustass hadn't been looking at him with hatred or anger in his eyes. It was pity, and that was far worse in Trafalgar's mind. Had Eustass been in the dream with him the whole time? He watched his and Kidd's relationship pan out over those two years?

Trafalgar closed his eyes wearily. He was alone, and he knew that this time, there was no way that Kidd would be able to return to him. The dark haired spirit was trapped in this body, and Law wasn't even trying to take back control. Trafalgar had noticed the other man's presence as soon as he'd woken. It almost seemed as if Law wanted to watch him suffer from the loss of Kidd.

Trafalgar gloomily supposed that he would've done the same thing, had their roles been reversed. He knew that his doppelganger had a sadistic side to him, and wondered why it had taken so long to show.

Marco's expression was unreadable, until he spoke. It was calm, "I'm going to go check on Sabo, and just so you know, Eustass, you are not off the hook on working with him and Koala." Marco left the room amid Eustass' curses.

Eustass stiffened on the bed he was resting on, "I should get time off for all of the bullshit that I've been put through in the past two months!" Eustass griped, bristling when Marco said nothing to him, "Dammit."

Trafalgar broke down completely at that, and huddled in the corner of the room, forgoing the bed, as he didn't think that he could bear to look at Eustass. Why couldn't Marco just get him out of Law's body now? He was definitely willing now, especially since Kidd was now lost to him. But the dark haired man couldn't bring the words to form as Marco left the room, and closed the door. Trafalgar drew his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them as he rested his head on his knees. Trafalgar didn't know what to do. He was afraid to die now, because he didn't know if he would be able to see Kidd again or not. Besides, Trafalgar was just possessing a body right now. He didn't want to think about hanging around after he left the body, and was forced to be alone forever. Trafalgar was tempted to cry, but there was really no point to it anymore. It would do him no good. Trafalgar didn't react when a shadow fell over him, but he did flinch slightly when a blanket was dropped over him and covered his face. He heard the redhead speak overhead, his voice scathing.

"I didn't think that you could be so pathetic. Was all of that confidence and arrogance from before an act?" Eustass walked away, not realizing that he had hurt Trafalgar more than he already was.

Trafalgar closed his eyes once more. He was afraid, but he wasn't going to do anything to help himself. Trafalgar hated it that it seemed like Law was taking pleasure in his emotional pain, but did nothing to discourage it. There was just no point to even waste the energy to do so. Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut more tightly as reality crashed down on him.

There was no point resisting anymore. No point to it, because there was no one left that cared one bit what would happen to him if he just happened to disappear.


	45. Part Three: Desperation

Eustass was relieved that everything had gone back to normal after the disaster that was the warehouse and the near drowning he'd suffered through. That, and the fact that he had had a front row seat to two years of Kidd and Trafalgar's lives. Eustass snorted softly and leaned back. That was unlikely to fade from his mind anytime soon. He wasn't the empathetic sort, but it seemed like the two spirits that had been around had really cared about one another. Eustass would have just preferred it if he hadn't been drawn into their drama.

Even Bartolomeo's nauseating hero worshipping of Ace and Luffy was welcome in his life at this point. It made the sense of normalcy seem more real, because it still pissed Eustass off whenever Bartolomeo started gushing over either of the other two teens. A good, half serious fight had been even more of a relief, until Killer had come and stopped the fun.

Eustass glanced out of the window of the bus he was in, and stared at his reflection silently. While it was true that things were as they should be, Eustass knew that he would never forget what had happened. The scars on his face were fully healed, and had been for some time. But it was still a reminder of the sadistic spirit that had left its mark on him. One that the red head would never be able to get to fully fade from his memory, when he was greeted with it whenever he looked at himself in the mirror.

Eustass traced his right hand fingers lightly over his abdomen and left arm absently. The bullet wounds that were there had faded, but were there all the same. Another unwanted memory to last for a lifetime. Eustass glanced out the window again, checking to see if he had reached his destination or not. Work would be a welcome distraction for once, even if he didn't like his fellow workers.

He was nearly there.

Grumbling something under his breath, Eustass got off at the next stop, and crossed the street to a sidewalk that led down to a residential street. Eustass stalked down along the sidewalk. He was surprised that Sabo and Koala had given him so much time off, but he wasn't about to complain at the unexpected generosity. The job still bothered him a bit, but at least he got paid. And most of the time nothing ever happened, with the exception of Law's rented place where Eustass had his body hijacked by a spirit. Other than that, most of the time there was a reasonable explanation for 'paranormal' experiences. Eustass looked up. He was only slightly annoyed about meeting the other two today, because neither of them had bothered to tell him who the new person was that they were bringing along.

That should have been the first hint that things weren't completely back to normal.

Eustass reached the house, and located the right one due to the fact that the van was parked in the driveway. His presence was picked up on right away.

"You sure sounded irritated over the phone. I didn't think that you were going to show up today."

Eustass opened his mouth to give Koala a smartass response, when he happened to look past her and at Sabo. The red head stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Trafalgar, or Law, standing there just beside the wavy haired blond. Eustass gave the dark haired man a quick once over, and came to the conclusion that it was the spirit, Trafalgar, because Eustass doubted that Law would have looked so depressed. Trafalgar appeared to have lost some weight, and looked utterly exhausted. What surprised Eustass the most was that Trafalgar had absolutely no outward reaction upon seeing him. Eustass knew that Trafalgar had seen him, and was looking at him, and the redhead was honestly surprised that the dark haired man didn't try anything. Eustass believed he might based solely on the look in Trafalgar's eyes. Gaging. Heated. Almost...desperate. It made Eustass uncomfortable.

Trafalgar was silent when Sabo handed him a suitcase. The dark haired man stared down at it, his eyes leaving Eustass. He had looked like he may have said something, but had decided against it at the last moment.

"Take that to the living room." Sabo said, turning back to the van to get more of the equipment.

Without a word, but with one brief glance at Eustass, Trafalgar turned and headed into the house with the suitcase.

Eustass watched him go. For some reason, he hated that the other man was still being so pathetic and forlorn. Eustass was disturbed that he wanted the other man to be sly and snarky again. Act like he had when he had cornered him in the apartment. Hell, even when Eustass had carted him off in a stolen car to go to the apartment. It was almost painful to watch the man act so uncharacteristically, especially after seeing all of his and Kidd's shared memories of their past. Eustass turned to Sabo and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why the hell is he here?"

Sabo handed over a few tripods, "Doflamingo escaped police custody a month and a half ago. Marco had told them to keep security tight, but they must have let up because Doflamingo was able to slip away. Marco figured that it would be a good idea to keep an eye on Law, in case Doflamingo happens to come after him. Either for him or the spirit inside of Law. I offered to keep watch, so here he is." Sabo shrugged, offering a thin smile to the redhead, "Besides, we needed some extra help these past few months, because someone was reluctant to come back to work."

Eustass sneered at that as he adjusted his grip on the tripods, "And you wonder why? Being possessed by a fucking spirit doesn't count as a reason for needing some time off?"

"Could you put those in the living room, dining room, and bathroom? I want to get started soon. It's almost dark." Sabo ignored the seething glare he received. In truth, Sabo had a reminder of his own of what had occurred. The scar on the left side of his face.

Eustass decided that it wasn't worth it to get into an argument, but also because he didn't want to perhaps get his ass handed to him again by Koala. Especially if the argument turned physical. Sullenly, Eustass went inside. If the redhead had really thought about it, he would have asked either Koala or Sabo to go with him.

Because Eustass knew that he should have known that Trafalgar's disinterest in him had only been an act in front of Sabo and Koala.

-x-

Eustass set the final tripod up, and angled the camera on top of it that Sabo had brought in minutes before. Satisfied with the angle, Eustass entered the bathroom to toy with the cords, and just before he got back up, he heard the door close and lock. The sound was impossibly loud to his ears, but only because Eustass was dreading what was likely to follow.

Dammit. He should have known. He should have been more careful.

Eustass had frozen in place, but even as he turned around in a crouch, he knew he was too late to prevent Trafalgar from crashing into him. Eustass stumbled backwards with the force the dark haired man had hit him with, and soon found himself laid out on his back. Eustass half sat up but grunted as Trafalgar shoved him in the chest, harder than he expected from the other man, until his back was up against the tub. Trapped, if only slightly. Eustass bit his lip as Trafalgar settled onto his lap and ground down against him. Eustass immediately reached up with his hands to shove Trafalgar away, but the dark haired man was one step ahead of him, and had his arms wrapped around Eustass' neck, using his weight and the leverage he had to press the red head against the tub.

Eustass made a sound of protest when Trafalgar leaned forward and locked lips with him. Eustass winced as the dark haired man bit his lip and forced his way into his mouth, and ravished the inside of it with a burning intensity that left Eustass breathless. Eustass couldn't help but moan faintly into the kiss as Trafalgar lifted his hands up to dig through his hair, twining them through it and holding on tight as he forced Eustass' head back and to the side, deepening the kiss. It was a desperate action. Desperate and needy.

Eustass gasped for breath when Trafalgar finally freed him from the heated kiss. The red head took a few breaths. Holy shit. Even if Eustass hadn't wanted it, that had been a damn good kiss. Still, Eustass knew that he had to stop this. Trafalgar was obviously still in denial about what had happened to Kidd, and the dark haired man probably wanted nothing more than for Eustass to pretend to be who he wanted him to be. Eustass wasn't in the mood to play, nor was he interested anyway. It was Law's body. Not Trafalgar's.

"Eustass-ya." Trafalgar's voice was low, pleading, and hopeful all at once as he slid down, his hands dropping to Eustass' waist.

The red head reached down to stop Trafalgar, knowing what he had in mind, but the other man was not backing down, and had Eustass' pants down and reaching into his boxers before Eustass had even had the chance to do or say anything. Eustass' hands faltered, head falling back as he let out a startled cry as Trafalgar immediately took him in, hand working alongside his mouth. Eustass writhed. He was bitterly disappointed that his life hadn't gone back to normal like he had thought after all, if the spirit possessing Law was giving him blow job. At least it was a warm body this time and not the icy touch of an unseen being, like when Trafalgar had cornered him in the cellar all those months ago.

Trafalgar increased his ministrations whenever Eustass made anything that sounded like the beginnings of a protest, but the dark haired man knew. He knew. Damn it all, but Trafalgar knew that it wasn't Kidd he was with right now. He knew it wasn't who he wanted it to be, but Trafalgar couldn't bear to think about his lover being gone forever. Never being able to see him again.

Eustass managed to remain silent by biting his lip, hard enough that it drew blood, and let out an occasional gasp here and there, before he came. Eustass dimly felt Trafalgar swallow, and wondered what the hell Law thought about all of this. Eustass felt Trafalgar back away, and was ready for him this time when he tried to get close again. Eustass' hands seized Trafalgar's nearest arm, and in mere moments had the other man pinned face down on the floor. Eustass tugged his pants back up one handed, and figured that he would belt it later. Right now, he wanted to make sure that Trafalgar couldn't do anything more than he already had. Eustass had to stop this. Now. Before it went any further. Eustass wondered, briefly, if the only reason that Trafalgar hadn't consented to leave Law's body yet was because he had wanted a last ditch attempt to have a shadow of something he craved so desperately. And Trafalgar was far enough gone that he had made himself believe he had a chance.

"Eustass-ya. Please..."

Eustass' jaw set when he felt and saw Trafalgar shift, pressing backwards, all but yearning for his touch. Eustass stared at Trafalgar's back for a moment, before he reached down with his other hand and pulled the dark haired man to his knees. Eustass inched forward, and, quickly letting go, wrapped his arms around Trafalgar from behind, and tugged him backwards to his chest, to the point that he could hear the other's shallow breathing and rapidly beating heart.

Waiting. Waiting for him to do something, anything. But it wasn't going to be what Trafalgar had been hoping for.

Eustass closed his eyes and leaned forward near Trafalgar's shoulder, so the other man would be able to hear him "I am not who you want me to be. I never will be, so..."

"Don't..." Trafalgar had stilled, before he began to struggle. Eustass had a good grip on him, however, and the dark haired man found that he couldn't break free. Trafalgar's voice grew harsh, refusing to believe, but at the same time acknowledging the other's words, "Shut up. Don't say anything more. I don't…" Trafalgar's voice broke just a fraction, but still held the edge of anger, "I don't need to hear. I don't  _want_  to hear it."

Eustass held Trafalgar more firmly, "Well, you're gonna hear it anyway. You have to let go already. You need to give Law his body back. Waiting for something that is never gonna happen...it'll just make it harder on you." Eustass fell silent, and just held still as the other man completely broke down, and, from the sound of it, had started to cry. Another uncharacteristic thing that Eustass had never expected from the other man.

Eustass waited, and soon, after Trafalgar had cried as much as he needed, spoke aloud in a flat, weary tone, "All right...tell the spell caster and the others...that I'm ready..."

Eustass held Trafalgar steady with one arm as he used his other to pull his cell phone free to call Marco. He was not about to delay this. When he reached the other man, Eustass spoke without greeting, "Where should I bring Law? The spirit says it'll go now."

Marco sounded taken aback, but not as surprised as Eustass thought he should have been,  _'Ah. Perona was mentioning something to that effect. Take him to the house that Law was renting from Crocodile. The cellar. Perona and Hawkins are already there. I was about to go there myself.'_

Eustass hung up, and stood, bringing Trafalgar up along with him. The red haired man was a little suspicious that Trafalgar came along so quietly, but it did seem like the other had just given up. His last hope had been dashed, and he just didn't seem to care anymore. Eustass called to Koala as he exited the house, "Hey, give us a ride to Law's place."

Sabo, who had followed after them, and heard some of the conversation, shook his head when it looked like Koala was going to argue, "Do it, Koala. I'm sure I'll be fine for a half hour, or however long it will take."

Koala paused, but then she shrugged and nodded, and closed up the van as Eustass and Trafalgar got inside, "Well, hold down the fort and don't let the ghosts pull any pranks until I get back."

Sabo waved a hand, wearing a bemused smile.

As Koala pulled out of the driveway, she didn't notice Eustass shift uncomfortably in the backseat.

Trafalgar was holding one of the red haired man's hands as he stared unseeingly out the window. His thoughts drifted to Kidd, and wondered, once he got to the house, what was going to happen to him. Would he be a spirit once more, roaming the world all alone? Or would he simply cease to exist? Trafalgar supposed that he didn't care, but a tiny part of him, that wasn't despairing about the way things were going, wanted to think that he would be reunited with Kidd.

Even if it was a tiny, slim hope, the dark haired man clung to it like a lifeline. Something to make in not so hard to finally let go.

And then Law had to go and break into his thoughts.

_'The sooner you're gone, the better. It seems like I've been gone from work for long enough that I'll be fired.'_

"Wouldn't that be a shame." Trafalgar barely whispered, still staring out the window.

_'Were you the reason that Doflamingo-ya went to jail?'_

"He deserved to be there. If not for what he did in this life, but in the past one with me." Trafalgar muttered.

Law was quiet a moment.  _'Maybe, but I always thought he covered his tracks too well to ever be discovered. So, was it your doing?'_

"Why would you care?"

_'...because he happened to have records of people that worked for him. Including me.'_

Trafalgar let out an odd, choked laugh that drew a look from Eustass, before he talked to Law silently in his mind.  _"Well, isn't that just too bad? Maybe you'll go to jail too."_

_'You'd like that, wouldn't you?'_

Trafalgar sighed.  _"He escaped. Which means that once I leave your body, he'll probably try and contact you, to make sure that you don't get arrested. He doesn't have any issues with you. Only me."_

_'And I bet that was your fault, wasn't it?'_

Anger surged throughout Trafalgar at that simple statement and he all but yelled at Law within his mind.  _"_ He _was the one that drove_ me _away. He killed someone that I cared about, and nearly right in front of me. He didn't see me though. Didn't know that I was there, but I saw everything that he did that day. How he did it. I wasn't about to wait and see if he was going to do the same to me at some point in the future."_

Law fell silent as Trafalgar stewed in dark thoughts of his past. Law really couldn't wait to have full control of his body, and have the spirit that had been possessing him completely gone from his life. But Trafalgar's reactions let Law know that the other man wasn't nearly as broken as he seemed.

-x-

Marco was waiting in the cellar, outside the hidden room, by the time that Eustass and Trafalgar reached the house, "Ah, Eustass. I see you were able to bring him along without any trouble."

Eustass nodded, "He said he was ready."

Marco peered at Trafalgar, "I suppose Law is too." He held out a hand, "It's simple to leave. Give me your hand. I'll use some of my energy to help you leave the body you're possessing."

Trafalgar hesitated, before he stretched out his hand and allowed Marco to grasp it. The dark haired man's eyes fluttered shut, and he went a little limp, but was still standing. After a moment, he opened his eyes and glanced around.

Marco let go of his hand, "It's done. At least, the first step is."

Eustass glanced at the dark haired man, "That was fast."

Law's face was unreadable. He seemed to have a little trouble with balance, but soon regained it. With a jerk of his head to Marco, either in thanks or acknowledgment, turned and headed back up the stairs, not once looking back.

When he was gone, Marco shook his head, "Everyone will react differently to being possessed."

Eustass tensed up when he felt a cold presence come up next to him.

"He isn't going to try and possess you." Marco commented, noticing the redhead's stiff posture, "I can't sense him very well, but his energy isn't anything like it was before when I first came to this house." Marco turned and headed into the hidden room, "Come on. The spirit is going to be unstable soon, so it's better to get things done before his energy depletes completely and he does try and possess someone again."

Inside of the room, Perona and Hawkins were there, waiting, and Perona, once she caught sight of Trafalgar's spirit, indicated a shallow hole to Marco and Eustass. It looked to have been dug in the ground recently, and there were bits of bone that had been settled inside.

"We found the bones behind the boiler." Hawkins explained when he saw the look on Eustass' face as he glanced into the shallowly dug hole.

Trafalgar drifted closer and eyed the various items in with the bone, as well as the paper talismans, and a drawing sketched in the ground around the small dugout space. Trafalgar let his shoulders slump, not drifting around any more. He wasn't going to make this difficult. He wanted to though. He really did. Trafalgar wanted to kill these people that had interfered. But it wouldn't bring Kidd back to him, and he was more likely to end up all alone if he caused harm to any of the people in the room. They were fully capable of getting rid of him, but were instead opting to help him, which confused him a bit.

At this point, the dark haired ghost wanted things to end. Wanted it to end, so that he didn't have to feel pain over losing Kidd anymore. He did feel pathetic for beng reduced to this, but that was likely to go away as well. He hoped. So any help, even though he didn't think he deserved any, was welcome, if only to end things more quickly.

Perona seemed to have sensed the gloom, because she turned to face Trafalgar, "We can only move things along if you help out. Could you please settle in the bones? They are yours." Perona saw Trafalgar look at the bones, and then to her, and she clarified, "Settle in them as if you are possessing a body. It should be similar, and even if there aren't all of the bones, they are yours, and it should work. Then just leave the rest to Marco."

Trafalgar hesitated and glanced back at Eustass. Then, he dropped his gaze. Eustass was right. He couldn't be Kidd, no matter how much he looked like him or how similar the two men acted. Trafalgar drifted toward the bones, before he vanished from sight altogether.

"Is he in?" Marco asked Perona after a few minutes had passed.

Perona nodded even though she looked uncertain, but Hawkins spoke aloud, explaining the medium's uncertainty, "I'm not sure how well of a sealing spell I can do without something to anchor the spirit here. He could break free if there isn't something to discourage him from doing so."

Eustass dug around in his pocket at that, and drew something out. He walked over to Hawkins and held a ring, silver and gold, out to him, "Would this ring work? It belonged to the other me. I think that spirit..." Kidd pointed to the bones in the ground, "...gave it to him."

Hawkins took the ring and examined it silently, before he held it out to Perona, who held a hand over it.

"The other spirit is within the ring." Perona commented, "He was not consumed by his memories to fade away from this world as I thought he may have."

Marco appeared to be taken aback at this, and turned his eyes on Eustass, "How long has that ring been in your pocket?"

Eustass hesitated before he answered, "Since the warehouse."

Marco nodded, as if confirming something, "The spirit that had been possessed your body must have heard the other spirit call out to him in the dream after all. He just didn't have the strength to come back all the way, and since the ring was there, he used it as the closest thing that made him think of the other spirit."

"The other Law was given it by Killer, in the dream, before he tried to jump off the ship to go after the other Kidd. I stopped him." Eustass said after a moment of silence.

"That wasn't a dream. I believe that you and Law may have briefly stepped into the land of the dead before the two of you woke up." Marco saw Eustass give him a funny look, "Was there any mist?" Seeing Eustass nod, Marco shrugged, "Then you did briefly step foot in it. You're lucky you pulled Law out when you did. Otherwise the two of you could have been stuck with the spirits. And dead."

Hawkins didn't seem to notice the disturbed look on Eustass' face at the thought. The long haired man instead stepped forward and crouched as he carefully slipped the ring onto one of the thinner bones. He drew several talismans out from a pocket and bound them around the bone with the ring on it, and murmured something inaudible. Hawkins stepped back, "The seal should hold so long as the two spirits are able to cross paths with each other. They are still far apart from one another at the moment."

Perona crouched next to Hawkins and held her hand out again, "There is a third spirit with us. I spoke to it before. It's been watching over the two spirits in this house..." Perona tilted her head, as if listening to some unseen being, "...no...three spirits. One has been wandering in this world longer than the two who have been in this house." Perona looked sideways at Hawkins, "I wouldn't worry about the seal holding. The spirit I spoke to will make sure that they cross paths."

"The spirit is here now?" Marco asked. He was always confused that he could sense presences, auras, but not the spirits themselves.

"Yes. He wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly. He's been waiting for a very long time. For things to reach this point, instead of repeating in different sequences in a continuous loop. Never moving forward. But with this, it has begun to move forward again." Perona didn't elaborate on her words, but she did offer a secretive smile, "He's hiding his aura from you, by the way. He'd rather avoid the questions that you might happen to ask otherwise."

And that was that. If Perona knew a spirit was there, and masking its presence actively, there was little point in asking anything further. Marco stepped forward, and ran a hand over all of the bones that were there. Blue flames flickered out and over the bones, but not the ring, before the flame vanished, as if it had never been there. Marco shook his head as straightened, "I was able to suppress one of the spirit's memories of past events, as it wouldn't do any good for that spirit to come back with so much hate and resentment. The other spirit, however, I couldn't reach, but I doubt that he will try to come back without the other one."

Perona glanced up silently for a moment, before she turned to Marco with a small smile, "He says thank you, for doing this."

Marco assumed that the pink haired medium meant the spirit that was apparently with them now, and not Trafalgar. Marco glanced over at Eustass, "You can go now. Thanks for your help. I guess Sabo or Koala is outside waiting for you?"

Eustass had forgotten that Koala was waiting, briefly, with all of the weird spell stuff going on in front of him, but he managed a single nod as he went back up the stairs and left the house. He figured that Marco, Perona, and Hawkins would do something to close the hidden room, so that no one would disturb the spirits, and make them return to cause mischief. Eustass left the house altogether, relieved that the craziness was finally at an end, and got back into the van with Koala.

Ghost hunting seemed a much more desirable thing to do to not think about the idea of someone actually doing magic. It was just too weird.

-x-

Trafalgar felt lost.

Lost, and drifting. Endlessly, it seemed. Like he couldn't get a solid grip on reality.

But why?

There was something that seemed to be wrong, but Trafalgar couldn't quite place it. It was as if that reason...that wrongness...had been wiped clear from his mind. But that was stupid. No one could do that.

And yet...

Trafalgar felt uneasy, and further so when he realized he couldn't open his eyes. Couldn't move. He felt as if there was a lot of darkness crashing in around him from every direction, trying to swallow him up. Trying to take him into a place he could never again wake up from.

And he was lonely. So lonely, that the idea of being swallowed by that darkness, and lost to the world, was almost preferable.

That was, until a hand touched his as it wrapped around his wrist. He wasn't so alone now, but...

Panic seized Trafalgar, until he felt the hand leave. The dark haired man was still panicking at the unknown hand. Whose was it? Was it something to take him the rest of the way into the darkness? Into nothing, where he would be left and forgotten? Or would he simply cease to exist?

Trafalgar's panic bled away into confusion, and then recognition, when the hand returned to gently ruffle his hair in a reassuring way. The same sensation he had felt...somewhere else...but when, and where? Trafalgar had thought he'd known where, but it was gone as soon as he tried to pursue it. But the hand...Trafalgar found that he  _was_  reassured by it, for some reason, and when the hand closed around his wrist again, he allowed it, and let the familiar presence tug him along wherever it was trying to take him.

Trafalgar heard a voice as well, but couldn't quite hear it, but it was still familiar all the same.

When the dark haired man was finally able to open his eyes, the darkness was gone, and he was looking at a quizzical Kidd. Trafalgar blinked, disoriented as he looked around. He was at a port with Kidd, and it looked like they were about to board Kidd's ship when he'd blacked out for a moment. The lingering sensation of someone ruffling his hair remained, before it was gone. Gone along with whatever was bothering him.

"Trafalgar?"

The dark haired man looked at Kidd and curved his lips up into a smile, "I was lost in thought. Were we going on your ship anytime soon? I doubt that Doflamingo would take it well if he is still around and learns what I'm doing." Trafalgar caught sight of something in his lover's expression. An almost sad look, but one that seemed to accept whatever it was that caused the sudden feeling. Perhaps they were both feeling a bit off with the thought of running from a dangerous man. Trafalgar couldn't think of any other reason.

"...yeah, let's go. We don't wanna have that bastard show up or something." Kidd led the way to the ship, and Trafalgar followed.

-x-

Kidd watched Trafalgar board the ship, and lean against the railing, where he watched with some interest as the ship sailed off, further and further away from the port. Some tension seemed to leave him, and Kidd was relieved for that, even if he was disappointed. He hadn't realized that Marco was going to completely wipe Trafalgar's memory of being a ghost, and of what followed, but somehow, it seemed like the only way to keep the dark haired man from doing anything stupid.

The only reason that Kidd knew what had happened was because some unknown voice had helped him tune in to the conversation. It had been weird, but here he was.

The red head snorted to himself. It really was fucked up being dead. But he supposed that at least Eustass and Law would be pleased that Trafalgar wouldn't remember what had happened. Marco, Perona, Hawkins and Ace as well, the red head supposed. Kidd shook the thought away. He was getting what he wanted, and if it was his lover with a loss of memory of what else they'd been through, Kidd would take it. The red headed pirate came up alongside Trafalgar, and, once the port was out of sight, leaned up against the other man, "Want to go to bed?" The dark, sly smirk aimed his way, as well as the hand that lightly trailed along his waist, made Kidd grin stupidly, pleased.

While Kidd was frustrated to have to keep the knowledge of everything that had happened, he felt that, somehow, it was good that Trafalgar didn't remember everything. He was happier now, or as happy as he could be, at the thought that Doflamingo was not going to be bothering them anymore. Kidd allowed Trafalgar to steer him toward his cabin, and as they walked, Kidd just knew that he had to make sure that he took Trafalgar along with him when they reached their destination.

Because there was no going back now, and if Kidd wanted to keep Trafalgar with him, he'd have to convince the other man to cross over without realizing what he was doing.


	46. Topsy Turvy

Trafalgar led Kidd to the captain's cabin, and stopped short just before the door to cast a look over his shoulder. The dark haired man knew that Kidd was following him, and closely, because the look Trafalgar had given the redhead was returned with a barely contained grin. One that promised to prove very interesting once they were behind closed doors and out of sight of the rest of Kidd's crew. Trafalgar merely smiled at how eager Kidd appeared to be, and that was good. The dark haired man wanted a distraction, and having what would be undoubtedly good sex was more than welcome.

Kidd moved in closer to stand next to Trafalgar, and leaned over his shoulder to breathe against his nearest ear, "What are you waiting for? Why don't you go inside?" Kidd's tongue darted out over the piercings, "I want to keep you up all night." Kidd inwardly squirmed at the wildly amused smirk spreading over Trafalgar's face, but decided that some embarrassment would be worth it, because the dark haired man appeared to appreciate his attempts.

"You're being rather forward today, but you need to work on talking dirty." The dark haired man turned and kissed Kidd, though he was glancing to the side when he did it. With a smile, Trafalgar slid a hand along Kidd's jaw, "It gets boring if I'm the one fucking you all the time, though I do like seeing you writhe and blush." Trafalgar leaned up against the other man, "Hear you moan my name loud enough that your whole crew hears you."

Kidd shifted uncomfortably, neither denying the statement or trying to avoid the topic as he mumbled, "Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch. Whose fault do you think it is for making lose it?"

"You never complained about it before." Trafalgar said thoughtfully, his smile becoming nasty, "As much as I'd like to see what your crew thinks if I kept you up all night, I think I'd rather see if you're still capable of getting me to 'lose it' as you so ineloquently put it."

Kidd wrapped an arm loosely around Trafalgar's waist, absently trailing his hand along the dark haired man's waist, "So you want me to top this time then?" That was what he had in mind anyway, and if Trafalgar was amendable to it, that would make things a hell of a lot easier. Kidd just hated it when Trafalgar would tease him partway through, and then end up changing their positions in an instant. Kidd felt his face flush slightly as Trafalgar sneakily cupped his crotch with a hand. Dammit. He was going to have to keep his emotions in check if he wanted to keep an upper hand over the other man.

Trafalgar pressed his hand against Kidd more heavily, squeezing gently, and drawing forth a shudder and faint moan of pleasure from his lover, "I don't know if you will today, if you're already like this." The dark haired man moved his hand from the bulge in Kidd's pants and reached up to toy with Kidd's hair, "If you fall apart and get distracted just like that, then I think your chances of topping are dwindling." The dark haired man's smile became wickedly gleeful, "And you might want to do something about your crew. Some of them are staring at us and watching me feel you up." With another tiny smirk, Trafalgar stepped back from his lover and opened the door to enter Kidd's cabin. While the dark haired man still felt like something, however faintly, was amiss, he couldn't not think about Kidd. Especially that barely discernible blush when the redhead realized with a quick look that yes, yes his crew was watching him, and a few of them were snickering at him and his open display of obvious affection, or lust. Trafalgar watched Kidd stalk toward those crew mates as he himself went in to the cabin. It was obvious that the other man wanted to touch him, and Trafalgar was willing to indulge his red haired lover. Trafalgar wanted to touch him as well, and for some reason he wanted to draw it out. Like he had been away from Kidd for longer than just a few nights.

Trafalgar stayed out of sight as Kidd yelled at some of his crewmates that were heckling him. Trafalgar smiled, though the smile faded as he thought back to his life before meeting Kidd, and Doflamingo. He tried very hard not to think about it, because it was painful. It was equally as painful as what Doflamingo had done afterward, though the older man hadn't known that Trafalgar had had a connection with the pirate crew that he had all but annihilated. That was something that the dark haired man had not thought about for years since it had happened

Trafalgar leaned up against the wall next to the open cabin door and let out a soft exhalation. That was something he was never going to bring up with Kidd, if he could help it. That he had been a captain of a ship as well, but had lost everything when he hadn't been there to share the same fate as his crew. Instead, Doflamingo had found him despondent on the shore, and had taken interest in the dark haired young man that claimed to be a doctor, a surgeon. Trafalgar dimly heard Kidd say some threat, heard laughter, and then the sound of Kidd's boots against the wooden deck of the ship as he entered the cabin. Trafalgar heard the redheaded pirate close and lock the cabin door, and tilted his head to offer a half smile at his lover, "Is your crew giving you a hard time?" There was pang of regret that he couldn't joke with his own crew, whom he had lost at the age of nineteen. It wouldn't do to dwell on that right now, however. There was nothing he could do to bring them back, and it wasn't worth going after Doflamingo after it had happened. Trafalgar knew he didn't stand a chance against the other man, and there was no one left to buffer between the two of them should something have gone wrong.

"Trafalgar?" Kidd questioned, as he noticed that the other man appeared to be distracted. The smile bothered him. It wasn't one of Trafalgar's normal smiles. It was wistful. Sad, almost. Kidd didn't like it, and he knew that it was not from Trafalgar suddenly regaining his memories. No, this was different. The dark haired man was obviously thinking about something in his past. Something that Kidd more than likely hadn't hear about. Kidd frowned briefly, thinking about how he could get the other man's attention.

Trafalgar couldn't help but dwell on the past a bit more, even though he had Kidd alone in a cabin. Alone in the cabin and staring at him, most likely. But still...If Trafalgar had known for certain that Doflamingo had been responsible for the loss of his crewmates, he never would have agreed to help the older man. But if he hadn't agreed to work for Doflamingo, he never would have met...

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Kidd questioned, drawing close to Trafalgar as he reached out with a forefinger and poked him in the forehead, "You're frowning. Are you all right?"

Trafalgar did not want to have to explain himself. He didn't think he would ever be to disclose that particular detail, unless the ghosts of his crew happened to show themselves. The dark haired man raised a hand and shoved Kidd's hand away from poking him in the forehead again. It had been almost...cute, in a way, for Kidd to be concerned about him. And from the looks of it, Kidd still wasn't comfortable about displaying his emotions, because he was giving off the air of someone who had been caught doing something unexpected. Trafalgar smiled, this time more slyly. He'd think about the past another time.

The dark haired man looked at Kidd, who had stepped back a few steps, eying him as if to see what his next response would be. Trafalgar figured that he was going to tease his lover into sex, since that was better than talking right now. Perhaps he could even get Kidd to forget about some things. Forget that he had looked unhappy, because it seemed to draw worry from the redhead, however much Kidd didn't want it to show.

Kidd wasn't sure what to do. He knew that something was troubling Trafalgar, but pushing the other man for details was the best way to make sure he was going to be sleeping alone. The red head knew that from past experience, and right now, he wanted to be as close to Trafalgar as he could possibly be. To make sure that he wasn't going to lose him again. There would be plenty of time to talk later. To talk about the past, if they really wanted to. Right now...

The red head lifted his gaze to the other man, and found him staring back, waiting as he was, to see how he would respond. Kidd began to smile. He wouldn't press for details. Not yet. But in the meantime, after all the teasing and heckling from his crewmates, Kidd was definitely going to irritate the hell out of all of them by being as loud as he possibly could. Because he was the captain, and if he wanted to have sex with his lover in his cabin, he was going to. The crew could just have to move out of earshot if it really bothered them that much.

Trafalgar stopped short of initiating anything when he saw Kidd lift his gaze to lock eyes with him. Trafalgar watched Kidd silently, a faint smirk crossing his features as the red head slowly shrugged out of his coat and let it fall to the floor. Trafalgar held his ground, and stopped short of crossing his arms as he waited. If Kidd was going to give him a show, he wasn't going to complain. The other man hardly ever did anything slowly, so this was different, and Trafalgar found that he liked it quite a lot. He knew that it turned Kidd on if he removed his clothes slowly, and was interested if the reverse was true. It was also amusing to see Kidd flushing ever so slightly at his own actions, which made it all the more interesting to watch. Kidd being embarrassed to do something but doing it all the same, for him, made Trafalgar like it even more.

Especially when Kidd tossed his belt carelessly across the room while keeping eye contact, and wearing a smile that grew that let Trafalgar know that the redhead knew just how much of an effect he was having.

Kidd would have liked to try this sooner, but had figured that with what their past had been, going slow meant less time together. But right now there was plenty of time, and Kidd wanted to rile Trafalgar up as much as possible. Kidd slipped the unbuttoned white shirt he had off, and promptly caught the damn thing on his artificial left arm. Kidd cursed. Well, that certainly put a dampen on trying to be seductive toward Trafalgar, if he couldn't even get his own damn shirt off. Kidd peeked out of the corner of his eye at Trafalgar, and the dark haired man merely looked further amused with the slight mishap, and didn't look to be doing anything about it but continue to watch.

Good. That made things easier. Kidd would have stopped if Trafalgar had outright teased him at that point. And would have had to coax him into having sex after a short bout of self loathing for being so easy to tease.

Trafalgar's eyes were glued to his lover, watching the red head's movements, and was well aware that he was slowly becoming aroused by the sight. Even if Kidd had managed to go from attempting to be seductive to clumsy in an instant as he managed to get stuck in his own shirt. Trafalgar's lips curved further as Kidd cursed under his breath and watched, smirking, as the redhead just tore the shirt off the rest of the way, and, growling something utterly incoherent, tossed it aside. Trafalgar saw Kidd glance at him and the dark haired man decided to tease Kidd a little, "So impatient. I'm sure you would have figured it out eventually without being so destructive. Do you really need to be so violent to a piece of clothing?" Trafalgar's smile widened a fraction, "I do hope you're not going to do that to mine. They were quite expensive." Trafalgar trailed a hand along his trench coat with a few fingertips, and raised a brow at Kidd, as if expecting an answer.

Kidd glowered at Trafalgar and his infuriatingly superior smirk that was aimed in his direction. Kidd opened his mouth to tell Trafalgar to shut the hell up, when he promptly shut it as he realized something. Trafalgar must be thinking, with how clumsy he was being, that he was going to be able to top this time around, and that was unacceptable right now. As far as Kidd could remember, before he and Trafalgar had died, the past few times they had been together, the dark haired man had always taken the lead. And Kidd was more than happy to bottom for a time, since it seemed to please Trafalgar, and he always liked it when the dark haired man was in a good mood, because it meant more sex and a higher chance of it being kinky.

"I didn't think you gave a damn about your clothes." Kidd commented, as he worked his boots off and kicked them to the side, out of the way. He knew what he was going to do now, and he was sure that Trafalgar wouldn't mind. Kidd knew that the other man loved it when he took the lead, and since Traflagar didn't remember the past few times when they had been possessing Law and Eustass, Kidd was determined to leave him with a better memory. Kidd was slightly uncomfortable at that, and wondered when the hell he had become so sappy about his and Trafalgar's relationship. Well...Kidd glanced up to see what Trafalgar was doing, and was pleased with what he found.

A dark, smoldering stare and a smile of anticipation. Hungry. Waiting.

Kidd grinned at Trafalgar, liking it when he was able to throw the other man off and get the upper hand. He knew that Trafalgar liked to make him a hot, sweaty mess after sex, as well as make him melt from all of the ridiculous whispers and touches and promises. Kidd's grin grew as he prowled toward Trafalgar with hungry intent. He was going to make his lover enjoy this, and hoped that the dark haired man really liked it when he was being forceful of what he wanted. From the way that Trafalgar stiffened in place, and the slight bulge in his pants, he was not at all opposed with what was currently happening. Kidd hitched his pants up absently as he closed the distance between himself and Trafalgar, who looked about ready to jump him if he didn't hurry the fuck up and start touching him. Kidd wasn't about to keep him waiting, because he wanted his hands on him as well.

All over.

Trafalgar welcomed Kidd's touch as the red head easily lifted him and carried him over near the bed. The dark haired man wasn't sure what he was up to, but he was currently so aroused that he didn't give a damn so long as Kidd kept his attention on him and kept touching him. Made it so that he didn't have to dwell on the past any longer. Trafalgar's feet touched the floor as Kidd lowered him back down, and before he could question the redhead, Kidd made his move. Trafalgar tensed up as Kidd suddenly pinned him up against the nearest wall of the cabin, and started leaving a trail of kisses along his neck, biting here and there. Why was Kidd suddenly being so attentive, Trafalgar wondered, when he would normally just toss him on the bed and have his way, and then he would take a turn. Trafalgar gripped Kidd's shoulders as the other man threaded his right hand gently through his hair and leaned toward him, "Eustass-ya...are you all right?" Trafalgar wanted to be sure. He still felt like there was something not quite right, even though Doflamingo didn't appear to be an issue now that they were on Kidd's ship and sailing away.

"I'm fine. What the hell?" Kidd paused briefly as the pressure of Trafalgar's hands increased on his shoulders, and he blinked confusedly at his lover for stopping him. And Kidd saw the confusion in the dark haired man's face as he stared up at him. Kidd furrowed his brow. He wasn't really annoyed, but the lusty thoughts that had been swirling in his mind had certainly been put to a temporary halt, "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Trafalgar let out a slow breath. He needed to get something off his chest. He needed to see if Kidd felt that something was amiss as well, as much as he hated putting what was obviously going to translate into very hot sex on hold. That much was obvious with the way Kidd was all over him, and Trafalgar was not at all opposed to Kidd jumping him. But first thing was first. Trafalgar eased up on the pressure of his hands against Kidd's shoulders, "Just now, since we got onto your ship. Do you...feel as if there is something...off?" Trafalgar felt relief when he realized that Kidd was giving him a pouty, as well as grouchy, look as he responded.

"Besides you stopping me when I was just getting started? No. Not really. Why?" Dammit. Whatever Marco had done to wipe or cloud Trafalgar's memories had been strong, but obviously not strong enough if Trafalgar was still aware that there was something missing. Not that he realized it himself, and Kidd was going to keep it that way. Anything to keep his dark haired lover with him. Kidd offered a small grin, "Anything else, or can I keep going?"

Trafalgar smiled at his lover, and shook his head as he let go of Kidd's shoulder and let them drop down to the redhead's waist, "It's nothing." With a sly smirk, Trafalgar leaned up against Kidd so that they were chest to chest, "And what exactly are you going to do to me? Besides not rip my clothes when you take them off?" The dark haired man allowed Kidd to press him backwards up against the wall again, the redhead's hand tightening in his hair as he leaned forward to kiss him.

"How about I show you instead?" Kidd questioned as he met Trafalgar's upturned head, smiling into the kiss as he felt the other man's hands trail along his waist. Kidd bit into the kiss gently before he broke away, much to Trafalgar's obvious displeasure, "I want to play with you this time, if you'll let me." Kidd felt Trafalgar's hands leave him, and a hand press up against his chest. Kidd grinned, pleased, and stepped away to allow Trafalgar free reign, and was anticipating what was to come with the sly smirk aimed his way. Kidd liked that he didn't have to explain himself.

Trafalgar ran a hand along Kidd's bare chest as he passed by him and padded over to the small bed that was in the cabin. With a shrug of his shoulders, Trafalgar slid his trench coat off and tossed it onto a nearby chair. Turning back to the bed, the dark haired man slid onto it, and, with a tiny smirk, splayed out on his back and stretched comfortably. Trafalgar tilted his head, his smirk widening when he noticed how aroused Kidd was getting with each passing moment. Trafalgar looked Kidd up and down in an assessing way, his eyes dancing with amusement, "Are you actually going to 'play' with me, or are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Trafalgar grunted as Kidd crossed the floor in two steps and all but jumped onto the bed.

"You're such a fucking tease, Trafalgar." Kidd growled as he settled over the other man's waist, reaching out with both hands to pin the dark haired man's over his head. Kidd's smile was nearly predatory now, "I'll have to do something about that."

Trafalgar laughed softly as he playfully strained against Kidd's grasp, because he knew the other man wanted him to, "But you haven't any handcuffs. Or were you going to try and slice me this time around?" Anything else Trafalgar may have said was cut off as Kidd leaned over him and kissed him. Trafalgar enjoyed the movement of their lips together before parting his mouth open to allow Kidd to deepen the kiss. The dark haired man moaned as he felt one of Kidd's hands hastily remove his belt. He heard a clatter, and decided that the redhead must have tossed it aside like he had his own earlier. Trafalgar felt something smooth against his skin, and when Kidd let go of his hands, the dark haired man tested the silk rope around his wrists, and the fact that there was a little over half a foot of the silk rope loose between both wrists, allowing movement. Trafalgar looked at it a moment longer, before smirking up at his lover, "How is this supposed to prevent me from playing with you in return? Isn't it a bit...dangerous?" Trafalgar bit back as gasp as Kidd settled over him more heavily, and soon felt hot breath against the side of his throat.

"Your heart is racing." Kidd commented, marveling at the fact. He figured that since they were dead such things wouldn't occur any longer. Kidd didn't give it much more thought than that, "And you won't think about doing anything in return, because you'll be too busy moaning my name and wanting more." Kidd used his left hand to yank Trafalgar's shirt up as his right hand began to roam the skin there. Kidd mouthed the side of Trafalgar's neck as he pressed down against his lover more heavily, his right hand fingers twisting and pinching as they explored the skin. Kidd's left metal hand trailed up the other's chest until it reached the dark haired man's chin, and Kidd lifted his head to meet the other man in a kiss, which Trafalgar responded to quickly as he pressed his body up against Kidd's lightly. Kidd smiled to himself at that, before he trailed his hand down Trafalgar's chest to his taut stomach, and then lower, where he quickly tugged the other man's pants down.

Reminding himself that Trafalgar didn't remember everything, Kidd pecked him lightly on the cheek, which earner him a quizzical, if amused, look. Giving his lover a wolfish grin, Kidd sat up as he slid his hands down along Trafalgar's body, and tugged the shirt up and over the other man's head, tossing the article of clothing over to where the trench coat was. Kidd turned his attention back to Trafalgar and, after a moment of eying the tattoos, dipped his head down to nip and kiss the skin as he went lower. Kidd settled on the bed between Trafalgar's legs, and leaned in close, his hands on the dark haired man's thighs. Kidd licked the inside of Trafalgar's thighs, smiling against the skin as the other man shifted, apparently surprised with the way things were going. Which was exactly the reaction Kidd wanted as his mouth closed over the tip of Trafalgar's fully aroused member, drawing a gasp of surprise from his lover.

"E...Eustass-ya..." Trafalgar clenched his hands into fists as he turned his head against them, acutely aware of where Kidd's mouth, and right hand, now were. He hadn't been expecting to get a blowjob on top of sex, but he wasn't going to tell Kidd to stop. It had been so long since Kidd had done it for him, after all, and Trafalgar liked that it was the same, if not better, than the last time it had happened.

Kidd was pleased that Trafalgar had only worn pants, as even he couldn't remember every detail of their past, and it was more convenient this way that there wasn't any more clothing to remove. Trafalgar was squirming in his surprise, and Kidd loved that he had caught the other man off guard. Kidd moaned around what he had taken in so far, and was entertained by the sudden writhe and curse Trafalgar let out. Kidd took in more, and loved it when Trafalgar let off a soft sound, shifting slightly as if to get a better position. Kidd grinned to himself as he continued to try and make Trafalgar lose some of his calm control. It was very satisfying for Kidd to get the dark haired man to be the one panting and begging for once. Trafalgar obviously hadn't been expecting him to do this.

"...E...Eust...I'm going to..."

Well, that was fast. Kidd chucked in amusement around what he had in his mouth as he used his left limb to lift Trafalgar's hips up slightly. Kidd slid his right hand beneath Trafalgar, and slipped a finger in, which Trafalgar obviously hadn't been expecting either, if the sound of his surprised choke was anything to go by. It drew out an interesting sound when he moved the finger, and Kidd wanted to hear more, so he pushed deeper and curled the finger as he took in as much of Trafalgar's member as he could.

Trafalgar was past words by now, and he let out a low moan as he came. It seemed like Kidd was trying to do something, other than just have sex, and it infuriated Trafalgar that he couldn't figure out why Kidd was determined to blow his mind. Trafalgar shuddered faintly as he felt Kidd swallow, before the redhead before drew away. Trafalgar turned his head, knowing that Kidd was leaning up for a kiss. Trafalgar twitched as Kidd continued to tease him with one finger, and spoke shakily before Kidd claimed his lips briefly, "Don't...tease me...you bastard..."

Kidd kept the kiss going a little longer to leave Trafalgar gasping for breath as he happily butted his head against Trafalgar's at the other man's tone, which was disgruntled, and spoke, "Too bad, because I'm just getting started." But Kidd removed his finger anyway, and not because of the swat he received from the dark haired man. It made Kidd verbally prod the other man, though, "You know you like it when I do this, you kinky fucker. Remember the inn? In the middle of a lot of people, you had me do it. When I was trying to play a card game and you just sat on my lap with a drink and teased me all fucking night?" Kidd caught the low chuckle of laughter, and added, "I know I could get you to come again with just my fingers. Don't lie." Kidd saw the glare aimed up in his general direction, despite the look of pleasure written over the dark haired man's face, and slight disappointment that Kidd had removed the finger. "Kinky." Kidd reminded the dark haired man.

Kidd reached over Trafalgar's head and dipped the hand beneath the pillow. His hand closed over the bottle that was there, and was honsestly surprised to find it there, even though he had always left one beneath it when Trafalgar had come into his life. Inwardly, the red head was disappointed that he couldn't have somehow smuggled the lube he had found while possessing Eustass's body. Kidd slid back down and nuzzled his head along Traflagar's heaving stomach, and licked his skin. "You'd think you'd been working out." Kidd grinned as he felt Trafalgar's bound wrists swat him over the head again. Kidd peeked up at him, and found Traflagar staring at him with narrowed eyes. Kidd decided to be flippant, just to irritate his lover, "Yeah, yeah, you're terrifying and you're gonna get me for this." Kidd grinned as he uncapped the lotion and dumped some out, returning his fingers to where they were before, and used two that time, content to go at a lazy pace, "Just don't cut my other arm off, or I won't be able to do this."

Trafalgar writhed at the pace Kidd had set, and, breathing heavily, smirked at the other's words. He didn't bother trying to say anything in return, as Kidd had just found a good spot, and he wouldn't have done anything but moan and gasp. Trafalgar did, however, become impatient at how long things were taking. Kidd really wasn't one for a lot of foreplay, and while it was new, and the dark haired man liked it, he really just wanted Kidd to get a move on with things before the red haired bastard drove him crazy.

Kidd couldn't help but want to tease Trafalgar more when he noticed that the other man was beginning to become impatient. Kidd slowed his fingers movements, before he stopped altogether and removed them as he grinned down at the dark haired man's face, "What, you want me to stop?"

Trafalgar swallowed briefly, the lack of movement allowing him brief clarity with his thoughts. The dark haired man surged upright and knocked Kidd onto his back. Moving quickly, Trafalgar settled over Kidd, his hands on either side of Kidd's head, choking the other man with the silk rope between his bound wrists. Trafalgar bared his teeth in a sinister smirk, "I told you this wouldn't stop me from doing something."

"Ass...hole..." Kidd growled in return, but did absolutely nothing to stop Trafalgar. Kidd knew that the dark haired man couldn't kill him, since they were both dead, but Trafalgar didn't know that. And Kidd let him think that he was surrendering, because he could tell, with a glance, that having him in this position was making Trafalgar get hard again.

Trafalgar let the pressure rest for a while longer, letting the threat sink in, before he spoke softly, "Now, stop with the teasing and fuck me already. That's what you were going to do in the first place, so stop dragging it out."

Kidd let out a breathless laugh as Trafalgar pulled the silk rope away from his throat. Kidd lay where Traflagar had shoved him, and he glanced up at the dark haired man slyly, "Why don't you do it yourself? I like it when you ride me."

Traflagar's brow rose in surprise, obviously not expecting that kind of response. He rested his hands against Kidd's chest, and stared down at him for a moment, before a small, genuine smile crossed his face, "Put it in yourself if you want me here."

Kidd was fine with that, "I need my pants off..." The red head cursed as Trafalgar reached down and tugged it down abruptly. Kidd hissed as the other man ran his fingertips along his length, before they settled back against his chest, "Why'd you stop?"

"I thought you were going to fuck me?" Trafalgar questioned as he trailed his fingertips lightly along the other man's chest, tracing the scars.

Kidd glared at the smirk aimed his way, before reaching for the lotion as Trafalgar rose up slightly to let him work, "You are a demanding jackass sometimes. I still don't know why you get off on choking me anyway."

"Hurry up, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar leaned further forward as he felt Kidd wrap a slick hand around himself, and the dark haired man peeked over his shoulder at the sight before looking back down at Kidd's face as he teased him slightly, "Don't jack yourself off before you even stick it in." Trafalgar leaned over to whisper against the side of Kidd's head, "I'd rather you do it when you're inside me."

Kidd groaned as Trafalgar straightened back up above his waist, and moved his hand faster, "Shut up, you son of a bitch! Quit saying shit like that." Kidd wasn't sure exactly who had the upper hand now, but Trafalgar would always beat him when it came to the embarrassing stuff he would spew out as if it were second nature to him.

Trafalgar reached out to swat Kidd's cheek lightly with his bound hands as he settled into a more comfortable position, eyes closing slightly as he felt himself come into contact with Kidd's member, "Hm, you're bigger than I remember." Funny, since he was pretty sure that they had had sex before coming to the port. Hearing Kidd stutter something in response, Trafalgar ground down against him, pretending that he hadn't heard the redhead speak, "What was that?"

"I said, stop moving like that till I'm in. Do you want me to do it or not?" Kidd growled. He knew Trafalgar liked to tease him, but this was pushing it. Both of them were irritated with the delay by now, but at the same time, Kidd knew that they both loved it.

"My hands are tied. Put it in yourself." Trafalgar said, his smile back as he braced himself against Kidd's abdomen as he felt the other man's left arm wrap around his back, his right hand guiding him down. Trafalgar scraped his nails against Kidd several times by the time the redhead was fully sheathed, and both were left gasping as they adjusted to the change.

Kidd recovered first and gave a very light thrust up, grinning as Trafalgar let his hands splay out again to brace himself, forgoing the scratching. Kidd gave another thrust, and grinned as Trafalgar bit his lip slightly and ground back down against him, "Heh, we should have done it like this more often, so I could see your face when I fuck you." Kidd reached up with his right hand, letting his left steady his lover. Kidd toyed with Trafalgar's dick, and drew his hand along it, "You're already hard again. Am I that good?"

Trafalgar ground down against Kidd in retaliation, and panted, "Don't let it get to your head. My body is merely wanting more."

"But it is your body, so you are the one who wants more." Kidd commented as he continued to draw his hand along Trafalgar's length. He laughed as the dark haired man's bound hands swatted his away, and was further amused as Trafalgar wrapped his hands around himself instead. Kidd tilted his head as he resumed moving, watching Trafalgar's hands move, before he grinned again, "You don't normally do that."

"You're moving too slowly." Trafalgar gritted out, not slowing down.

"Fine, fine." Kidd grumbled, using both hands to hang on as he increased his pace as well, loving the sight of Trafalgar throwing his head back as he finally found what he was looking for. At this point, Kidd wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up.

"Keep going." Trafalgar moaned something after that, but his hands faltered as he came again, and Kidd, turned on by the sight, followed soon after. It had been rather shorter than Kidd had expected, but he was too tired to care that it hadn't lasted longer.

Kidd didn't mind it when Trafalgar wiggled off of him to collapse against his chest, both of them panting raggedly, "That...was hot..." Kidd mumbled as he undid the silk rope that was around his lover's wrists. Kidd laid a sloppy kiss against Trafalgar's throat, "We should do that again sometime."

Trafalgar was too sated and satisfied to respond, and he made no complaint when Kidd gently slid him to one side to cuddle close to him. A year and a half ago Trafalgar knew that he would have been insisting on space, still remembering Doflamingo's touch, but it was soon made clear that Kidd was nothing like Doflamingo. The dark haired man would never admit it aloud, but he had begun to enjoy when Kidd would hold him like this. He enjoyed the contact after awhile, so long as Kidd would give him the space when he indicated that he needed it.

"You all right?"

Trafalgar turned over and rested his left arm over Kidd's waist, and kissed his collarbone, and then his lips. He wasn't sure why Kidd was suddenly worried about his well being, but he wasn't about to question it. He knew that Kidd cared, even if he had an awkward way of showing it, and never would admit his feelings aloud. It was a pity, because Trafalgar would have loved to hear it. Even if it wasn't often. The dark haired man leaned in closer with his head against Kidd's upper chest, and spoke wearily, "I'm fine. Go to sleep."

"Admit it, you liked it."

Trafalgar cracked an eye open, "Don't push your luck. Do not think I won't do something about it."

Kidd turned over so that he was pinning Trafalgar, "You wanna go again?"

Trafalgar could feel Kidd against his skin, and could tell his lover was already half aroused again. Trafalgar smirked wearily as he reached up to lightly slap Kidd's cheek, "Later." Trafalgar missed the saddened look the redhead wore since he had just closed his eyes again.

Kidd moved off of the dark haired man, and, after a moment's hesitation, wrapped his right arm around Trafalgar's waist, and held him up against his chest. Kidd closed his eyes as he rested his head above Trafalgar's. It was going to be hard, getting used to the dark haired man not remembering everything that had happened to them.

Trafalgar freed an arm to rest against Kidd's, and found that he was bothered by the silence, instead of being comforted. Trafalgar slit his eyes open and glanced down at the arm around his waist. They were sailing further and further away from Doflamingo and his realm of influence, and Trafalgar felt that he needed to get something off of his chest. For some reason, Trafalgar felt compelled by an unseen force that he really ought to tell Kidd about the reason why he left Doflamingo, because Kidd had been injured by the man. Kidd had never demanded to know why that was, other than figuring that Doflamingo was jealous of him and his relationship. Trafalgar figured at the time that that was fine, but it wasn't the whole truth. The dark haired man wanted to tell Kidd the real reason why Doflamingo went after him as he did.

Even if Doflamingo didn't realize the similarities to what he had done two years previously to the attack on Kidd. What Doflamingo had done that the older man had obviously been unaware that Trafalgar had seen at the time.

"Eustass-ya?"

"Hm?" Kidd sleepily opened his eyes, "Change your mind?"

"No, not that. I...do you know why Doflamingo was after me in the first place, when you came to the hospital after being injured by him?"

Kidd knew all right, or at least, he thought he did, but since Trafalgar didn't know that he knew more than he thought, he played it safe, "No. I figured he just wanted to have sex with you on the counter, from the looks of it."

Trafalgar was glad he wasn't making eye contact with Kidd, "I...I had gone out with him, for a short time, while I worked for him. Before I met you." The dark haired man paused, and knew that there was no avoiding telling Kidd about his dip in piracy, even though he had told himself he was never going to speak of it, "Before I met Doflamingo, I was sailing the seas with a crew of my own. I formed it when I was sixteen."

Kidd's sleepiness vanished, and he became more alert, but he said nothing. He merely trailed his fingers lightly along Trafalgar's waist. This was new to him. He hadn't been aware that Trafalgar had done any sailing.

"Three years later, we made port at the city where Doflamingo lived. I hadn't been aware of the attacks on pirate ships that had come into port without permission. I had disembarked to stock up on medical supplies when I overheard people talking about an attack on a ship." Trafalgar gripped Kidd's arm to stop the light touches to keep his focus. If he stopped now, he was likely to never speak of it again. "There were so many people that had turned up that I couldn't get a good look. I went to look from the cliffs, and I..." Trafalgar closed his eyes, "I saw my ship burning. I couldn't do anything from where I was, and I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had tried to get to them."

Kidd held Trafalgar more tightly against his chest, nuzzling the side of the dark haired man's neck but said nothing. He wasn't going to interrupt. Trafalgar had never given any indication that he had ever been a pirate or sailor or whatever.

"As captain, I was responsible for my crew's safety, but I had failed them. I realize I was only nineteen then, but I still felt that I should have been able to do something. To save at least one of them." Trafalgar opened his eyes and stared at nothing in particular, "I was frozen in place, and I suppose not being on the ship saved my life, as well as having my medical expertise."

Kidd finally spoke, "Why's that?"

Trafalgar trailed a finger absently along the back of Kidd's hand, "Because the person who walked up behind me to see what I was up to was Doflamingo. He was the one responsible for what happened, but at the time I hadn't known that. Instead, I was aware that I was in the presence of someone much more powerful than I was, and that it would be in my best interest to keep my silence of the connection I had with my crew."

"...do you think he knew that you were from that ship?"

Trafalgar considered that for a moment, "Perhaps. He certainly didn't seem particularly happy to see someone that he didn't recognize." Trafalgar smiled wryly, "I think he wanted to just kill me instead of asking questions."

"But he didn't?"

"He was stopped." Trafalgar said shortly, "After that, he seemed to be more willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, and let slide the idea that I may have come in unannounced." Trafalgar's voice became bitter, "That is, if I could prove myself to be useful at that point in time."

"Sounds like he just wanted an excuse to try and kill you."

"Yes...so, not realizing that Doflamingo had killed my crew, I told him that I was a doctor." Trafalgar wore a slightly twisted smile, "And I killed two people that tried to attack Doflamingo and the other man that was with him from behind." Trafalgar laughed hollowly, "It seems like that was more than enough for Doflamingo, because he was grinning at me standing over the bodies, like he did when he found something interesting. The person with him..." Trafalgar shook his head, "I should have known that it was a bad idea to get into any kind of relationship with him, because Doflamingo seemed oddly put off that I paid him more attention."

"Who?" Kid was perplexed by now. He wasn't at all bothered by the thought of Trafalgar killing someone in cold blood. Hell, he probably would have helped him if he had been around.

Traflagar shook his head, not really listening as he continued speaking, "I also shouldn't have had anything other than a professional relationship with Doflamingo. That...was kind of the last straw. What really made everything go downhill. I only wish that I could have realized what was going to happen sooner. I would have kept my distance."

Kidd made a face as his mind latched onto the fact that yes, Trafalgar had had a sexual relationship with Doflamingo for a time. Not that he really minded, since Trafalgar had stopped seeing the bastard after he'd bumped into him. But still..."You had sex with him when you were nineteen?"

"No, I did not." Trafalgar elbowed Kidd lightly, "Don't be an idiot. He wasn't interested in me like that until a few years later. I was twenty-two the first time. I kind of held off despite his advances, and the only thing that kept him from trapping me in a corner, so to speak, was his brother." Trafalgar paused, "It was thanks to him that I ended up only having a brief relationship with Doflamingo, before I realized my mistake. Before I found out that he was far more twisted than I ever could hope to be."

Kidd blinked, "You didn't get that from the way he was grinning all the fucking time when he killed people?"

Trafalgar pinched Kidd's arm, "Do you want me to stop talking?"

Kidd said nothing.

Trafalgar let out a low sigh, "And who says that I didn't smile similarly when I killed all those people he brought to me to kill for him? That I knew he liked watching me when I did it." The dark haired man shook his head, "And he knew that I liked the attention he did give to me, but...his brother was furious with him, for putting me at risk of being caught red handed in the hospital. He would have been appalled to know that I had been selling organs on the side through one of Doflamingo's connections." Trafalgar shifted uncomfortably, hesitated, and then added, "You're not the first person that I had sex with in the hospital morgue."

Kidd made another face and couldn't help but respond to that, "What the fuck. I know you're kinky and all that shit, but why the hell would Doflamingo..."

"Because he was watching me torture someone and he joined in, and then there was blood everywhere. We started feeling each other up, and, well..." Trafalgar shrugged, "It just kind of happened."

"You are twisted if you can get off like that while surrounded by dead people. Shit." Kidd looked for something, anything, to say, "And you didn't want to hang around with that bastard after, what, a few months going out? You sure seem like you liked it at the time." Kidd winced as Trafalgar gripped his right forearm tightly.

"It might have been possible to stay with him in that manner, but after what he did a few weeks after that..." Trafalgar loosened his hold on Kidd's forearm, "...I'll never forgive him for what he did. I had no interest in being anywhere near him after that."

"After what?"

Trafalgar was silent for a moment, before he spoke, avoiding the question, "As I was saying, I should have known that something was wrong, but I was torn between two different ideals, and apparently, Doflamingo took offense that I didn't agree with him on everything. Apparently, with my general disposition toward the world in general, Doflamingo thought we would get along quite well. I was inclined to agree, especially after my whole crew was confirmed dead. I just started not to care, and Doflamingo was quick to take advantage of my medical expertise. Of course, there were disagreements, but I really didn't care at the time, until I was pulled aside and shown just how much I was being taken advantage of." Trafalgar closed his eyes, "It got worse after Doflamingo and I started going out and having sex for those last few months before I turned 24. There were endless arguments at that point."

"Between you and Doflamingo?"

"Yes, but also with Corazon. He wasn't exactly pleased with how Doflamingo was treating me, even though I didn't have a problem with it or see that anything was wrong."

Kidd furrowed his brow, "Corazon? Who the hell is that?"

"Doflamingo's brother. The one who was trying to prevent me from getting too close to Doflamingo, and succeeded, for the most part, from when I met him and when I turned 24." Trafalgar supplied, his voice turning bitter, "And he was right all along. And I didn't listen to him when I should have. Corazon..." Trafalgar closed his eyes, "He was the reason that you and your crew pulled me out of the sea the day we first met."

"You were in the sea because of Doflamingo's brother?" Kidd was confused. Why the hell would Trafalgar be in the sea in the first place? Then it hit him. Kidd stared at the back of Trafalgar's neck accusingly, "Were you trying to kill yourself?" Trafalgar didn't say anything, so Kidd clarified, "You were in the sea because of this Corazon guy?"

"Because of what happened to him. Because of what Doflamingo did to him."

"What happened?"

Trafalgar sighed. He couldn't say everything after all, like he thought he could. Didn't want to finalize it, for some reason, "I...don't want to talk about it right now, Eustass-ya. I want to, but I can't. Not yet."

"It's fine. Just tell me when you want to."

Trafalgar was glad that Kidd didn't push for more details, and dozed off with Kidd's arm still around his waist.

Kidd felt Trafalgar's breath even out in slumber. He wouldn't push Trafalgar for details, even if he was curious of what exactly had happened. What could have been bad enough that Trafalgar had tried to end his life because of what had happened to another person? It didn't seem like something that the other man would ever do.

What the hell had happened?

-x-

When Trafalgar woke, he could tell that the ship was still sailing. But his first thought was that he was confused. The dark haired man couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important that he had forgotten, and that he shouldn't have forgotten it. Whatever it was. Trafalgar propped himself up on an arm, and looked around. He heard water running, and supposed that the lack of Kidd in the bed with him meant that the other man was taking a shower. Trafalgar frowned as he sat up on the bed.

Why couldn't he remember what was just out of reach? No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't figure out what it was that he couldn't remember.

The muddled and confused feeling only grew, until finally, several days later, by Trafalgar's guess, the ship reached a new port.

-x-

Outside the cabin, Kidd wondered how he was going to get Traflagar to come to shore without the other man catching on to what was going on around him. He seemed to be growing more suspicious of his silence on some matters, and had all but clammed up on any attempt to speak of the past.

"Kidd."

Kdd half turned, and saw Killer approach him, "Yeah?"

"Did you make the right choice?" Killer questioned as he stopped a foot or so away from the other man.

Kidd stared at his crewmate in confusion, before his eyes widened, "Are you a...spirit too?" Kidd supposed that he shouldn't have been all that surprised. He was dead after all. It wouldn't make any sense if everyone else was still alive.

Killer inclined his head in a nod, "Yes, and for longer than you two have been. The rest of the crew has been waiting for you to get yourself out of the mess that you got landed with by being connected with Law."

There seemed to be something Kidd was missing, "What are you talking about?" Why the hell would Trafalgar be a reason that he had been stuck as a spirit? He had chosen to be with the dark haired man, and didn't regret it. So why would it be that bad that he had stuck around because of Trafalgar?

Killer shook his head, "I don't know where to begin to even try and explain, so I'll leave that to the person who's been waiting the longest of us all." Killer passed by Kidd, reaching out and patting the redhead's shoulder, "I'll probably see you around, if you aren't always following Law around."

"Don't say anything to Trafalgar." Kidd said softly. It would just figure if the dark haired man overhead, and would be resistant to going anywhere without an explanation. And that would make things very difficult.

Killer glanced over his shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't."

Kidd turned away, not realizing that Killer vanished within the mist that had begun to gather in the port, as he was glancing at the cabin that Traflagar hadn't yet come out of. Kidd really hoped that Trafalgar hadn't remembered anything, because this next step was going to be difficult.

The door opened after another minute, and Trafalgar stepped out, and crossed over to the edge of the ship's deck, and glanced out over the gangplank that led to shore, "It's very misty." Trafalgar heard the crew working below deck, but didn't see anyone up on the upper decks, "Where's the rest of your crew?'

"Probably getting barrels to refill all the alcohol they drank over the past few days." That earned Kidd a tiny smirk from Trafalgar as the red head passed by him and climbed onto the gangplank, "And the mist is probably just the weather for the day." Kidd glanced back, "Ready to go?"

Trafalgar hesitated mid step, and stopped short of joing Kidd on the gangplank. It was weird, but he felt almost like, if he left the ship, he would lose something. Something important. And that he would never be able to grasp it again, whatever it happened to be.

Kidd had already disembarked, and turned around to find that the dark haired man was hesitating. Kidd tied to remain calm. To not show any panic or unease, since Trafalgar was probably confused as hell still about his clouded memories. Kidd was with Trafalgar again, and the redhead knew that no one would be taking him away from him ever again. They would be together, forever. Wherever this misty place happened to lead them. Kidd reached out his right hand, and spoke softly, "Law."

Trafalgar stared at Kidd for a moment, before a tiny, genuine smile appeared at the use of his name, and he walked along the gangplank so that he could take his lover's hand. Trafalgar steeped ashore, and, even though he felt as if he had left something of himself behind, back on the ship, he was able to ignore the feeling. Trafalgar stayed close to Kidd's as they began to walk, and didn't notice that the ship began to disappear within the mist, until it was completely gone. He didn't care or didn't seem to realize that, while he heard people, there was no one but himself and Kidd as they made their way into the misty city.

Kidd noticed the lack of occupants, but said nothing about it. He merely guided Trafalgar along through the mist, and the further they made their way forward, the more mist appeared, until the only thing visible was the path, and the only sound the sound of numerous voices. Speaking. Whispering. At some point, Trafalgar had clasped his hand around Kidd's right one, the grip becoming tighter with each step.

"Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar's voice was quiet as he finally seemed to become more aware of his surroundings. Or lack thereof. When Kidd didn't reply, Trafalgar leaned into Kidd's side heavily and tried again. "Kidd?" Something was wrong, but since he was with Kidd, Trafalgar wasn't exactly sure why he felt that way. He couldn't seem to stop walking either, and that should have bothered him, but it didn't. He was more interested in Kidd answering him.

Kidd kept his eyes forward, but he let go of Trafalgar's hand to hold him around the back of his waist, and closer to his side, not trusting himself to speak. He didn't want to undo the work that Marco had done. Kidd had briefly heard the short haired blond explain things earlier, and the redhead had decided that it would be better until he got Trafalgar far enough away from the world of the living to explain things.

If he ever had the need to have to explain.

Because if he lost Trafalgar now, Kidd doubted he would be able to ever get the dark haired man back. Kidd could only hope that if, for some reason, Trafalgar regained his memories, he wouldn't hate him for this.

The mist soon obscured both men, and something else, another presence, another spirit, in the mist, followed along after them.

Watching.

Hopeful that the two would be able to make their way through the biggest hurdle, before they were in the clear.

Always watching.

And waiting at the moment, to make sure that there would be no interference.

When Kidd and Trafalgar vanished from sight, the spirit that had been watching gave a sigh of relief.

It had been such a long wait, and finally things were beginning to move again, and in a more favorable way for all involved.

The spirit vanished from among the heavy mist, to follow after Kidd and Trafalgar.

It wouldn't hurt to make absolutely sure that things had gone off without a hitch.

-x-

Trafalgar felt as if he had been walking for a very long, long time through the mist. It seemed endless, and he couldn't see anything but for the mist and a silent Kidd that was walking alongside him. But as soon as Trafalgar briefly closed his eyes, and then opened them, the mist was gone, and the dark haired man was left staring into the amused gaze of Kidd.

The dark haired man blinked in utter confusion, "Eustass-ya… Where?" Trafalgar looked around the bar the two of them were in, at the chattering occupants, and was further confused. Had he imagined the mist? Had he imagined the heavy weight that had lifted off of him the further he and Kidd had walked along that misty path?

Kidd smiled at the expression his lover was wearing, "You had too much to drink or something, Trafalgar?"

Trafalgar glanced at his single glass compared to Kidd's three, and dryly responded, "I don't seem to have had as much as you."

Kidd grinned cheerfully at that, "Then why are you acting like you've just seen a ghost or something?"

Trafalgar looked at the people around him again, before looking back to Kidd, still at a loss, "I suppose that I had a very long dream. I can't remember it very well."

Kidd shrugged as he downed his second drink, and reached for the third, "If you don't remember it then maybe you're just tired from work." Kidd smiled teasingly at the dark haired man, "But hopefully not too tired, since you still have a patient to take care of when we go home, doctor."

Trafalgar was skeptical that weariness was the cause of his dream or whatever it had been, but he was reassured by Kidd's flippant attitude as he waved for another drink. But more than that, the dark haired man found himself to be more relaxed. Trafalgar was happy that Doflamingo couldn't find them, as they had gone very far to stay out of the older man's reach.

Kidd watched Trafalgar drink, and knew that it was definitely going to be hard to keep some things a secret from his lover. But he would try. Kidd wanted this, more than anything.

A chance to live, in a sense, a normal life that neither of them had really been able to in the past.


	47. Cornered

Law was going to kill someone for this. He normally didn't feel so much malice all at once, but for this, he would make an exception. This was something he had more than a right to be angry over. Being pursued by police officers into the back alleys of the street, shouting after him that he was to stop resisting arrest or some such nonsense. The only thing Law was wondering was why he was being chased in the first place. Thanks to Trafalgar possessing his body, Law hadn't been in control of his own body for at least a month and a half.

"Trafalgar Law! You're under arrest!"

"Stop!"

And if he weren't possessed by a spirit anymore, then why the hell was he being chased like he was a wanted criminal?

Law skidded around a corner, and cursed under his breath as even more cops began to follow after at him at breakneck pace. He wouldn't be able to keep up the speed for long, so he needed to find a place to hunker down and wait for his pursuers to lose interest. From the sound of the shouts close behind, the dark haired man knew that he would have difficulty getting out of sight without someone seeing him do so. Panting, Law continued to race through the alleys of the city as he cursed this sudden bad luck. He was confused. He still didn't understand why the hell did they want to arrest him. He hadn't done anything. That Law knew of, anyway. There was a blank from whatever Doflamingo had done to him to keep Trafalgar around to talk to. That had been a surprise, and even though it had been over a month, it had still seemed to Law that he had just taken a short nap. When Law became aware again, he had taken vindictive pleasure in watching Trafalgar suffer the loss of Kidd. And then finally, finally Marco had gotten the damn spirit out of his body.

But that still didn't explain why he was having to run right now.

Law had thought that Trafalgar's spirit leaving him was the end of his troubles, but it seemed that they were actually only beginning. And that beginning started with the cops trying to hunt him down and arrest him for something that he hadn't done. Unless…

Doflamingo had been in jail for a short time before he had made his escape. The blond haired man hadn't sold him and others of the family out, had he? The dark haired man shook his head. No, that couldn't be. Doflamingo would never do that to any of them in a million years. If they happened to get caught, all of them knew they were on their own, so as to not jeopardize anyone else. Law sucked in a sharp gasp of breath as he tried to run just a tad faster. No, there was nothing that would have made Doflamingo to give up his secrets, not without a nasty fight, and since the older man had broken out of prison, he must have been fine to get away unscathed. So, if Doflamingo wasn't to blame for what was now happening, then it had to have been Trafalgar while he'd possessed his body.

Law turned another corner, and came up shot with a curse, "Damn." Struggling to regain his breath, Law had forgotten to take a turn two alleys previously. He had been so turned around that he had taken a wrong turn, and had gone and gotten himself trapped in an alley. He didn't hear the sound of the police officers chasing him, so perhaps he had made a getaway after all...

"You sure run fast for a surgeon, Law. Did that skill come in handy when you were a teenager?"

Law couldn't help but smile at the gruff voice that had spoken, and turned around slowly, his back to the alley wall. Law attempted to act nonchalant, even though he knew that he was in trouble for who had cornered him. "Smoker. I could have sworn that you were back up north. Why the sudden change in scenery?" This was not good at all. Smoker was in charge of a police unit up north that dealt with both land and sea based criminals. While he excelled at catching criminals at sea, it was not all out of the realm of possibility for the man to come and assist a unit in another city in the capture of particularly hard to catch criminals. That Smoker had come to the city made Law wary.

The dark haired doctor eyed Smoker silently as the other man got closer. Of all the rotten luck in the world, it had to be Smoker. Law knew for a fact that the other man had been perilously close to completely digging up the illegal activity he had done in his past while working for Doflamingo on and off as he went to school to become a surgeon. Doflamingo had managed to patch things over at the time, but Law knew that Smoker still had his suspicions. And quite suddenly, Law somehow knew exactly why Smoker was here in the city in the first place.

Doflamingo had been arrested and behind bars up until a month and a half ago, but had managed to make his escape. Since Smoker was now in the city, it had to mean that he had been brought in to help look for Doflamingo and assist in arresting him.

Perhaps Trafalgar hadn't done anything after all. Maybe it was just because the cops knew that Law worked for Doflamingo on occasion, even if they had been legitimate jobs at the time. At least on the surface. And since Doflamingo had been the one to vouch for him when he was 18 and had been caught in the act of smuggling, and the older man was now on the run for being exposed to have had a hand in numerous illegal activities, then...

"Your boss isn't around to try and lie your way out of things this time." Smoker puffed at both of his cigars, before he stopped just out of reach of Law. The other man looked at Law silently for a moment, before speaking, "I have more of my men headed this way. I suggest that you come along quietly. I'm sure you have at least an inkling to where Doflamingo has gone."

And just like that, Law knew that going to school to become a surgeon had been wasted years of his life. No matter how much he wanted to leave his not so legal past behind, it had come for him in the end. And it had come much sooner than expected, before he could even build a reputation as a surgeon.

"Whether you talk now or later makes no difference to me so long as you don't try to run." Smoker said, keeping a sharp eye on Law and obviously waiting to see if the other man was going to make an attempt to anyway.

Law couldn't help but smile at that, "What makes you think I did anything wrong?" He was wasting time. Law didn't doubt that Smoker would have more men show up, and at that point there really would be nowhere to run to.

Smoker dug around in a pocket and produced a sheet of paper, which he glanced over, "Do you mean other than doing illegal smuggling and assassination for Doflamingo before you turned 20?" Smoker's eyes rose from the piece of paper to lock with Law's, "And have you forgotten about all of the people you've butchered more recently? Thirty total in over a month and a half's time."

Law took it back. Trafalgar  _had_  done something after all, and those actions had screwed him for the rest of his life. Doflamingo might be able to break out of prison, but Law knew that he stood no chance in hell of accomplishing a similar feat. Law kept his eyes locked on Smoker's as he tried to figure out what to do. He had nothing to fight with, and even if he did, he had no desire to tangle with the other man. Law was better with tricks than heavy physical fighting, and right now, running would do him no good if Smoker was going to be joined by even more cops.

Smoker noticed that Law appeared to be thinking about trying to make an escape anyway, even after being basically told that it wouldn't be in his favor to do so, and took a step forward, "Don't. I'm not in the mood to have to take you to the hospital. Taking you to the police station would be far easier on everyone involved."

It was now or never, but before Law could even take a step, Smoker was suddenly there and pinning him against the alley wall, his jutte pressed across the dark haired man's chest to keep him from fleeing.

"I told you not to run."

Law avoided eye contact now that Smoker was so close, "I never said that I wasn't going to try. I don't see why I should make your job any easier." Law shifted, before he felt Smoker's weapon rest a tad heavier against him. "Not that I killed anyone. It was someone else."

"Right, an evil twin was the culprit. Garp mentioned something like that. He had said it was weird that you were acting like a different person." Smoker commented, as he had one hand keep his weapon against Law's chest as he used his free hand to retrieve a pair of handcuffs from his belt. "That kind of thing won't hold up in court, you know. Better think of a reason for why you'd suddenly go around murdering people. The assassinations that you've done in your past for 'Joker' won't help your case, so I doubt you won't be going straight to jail after a hearing."

Double shit. Smoker knew about Doflamingo's identity, along with Law's connections to that codename. It was looking more and more that he was either going to be sent to prison for the rest of his life, or he would be executed, depending on what a jury thought of him attacking people at random, as well as his past with 'Joker.'

Law was screwed. There was no way out of this, no matter how he looked at it. The dark haired man winced as the jutte was pulled away, and hands replaced it. Law struggled briefly, but Smoker overpowered him and pushed him up against the alley wall. Law heard the clink and the feel of metal settling around his wrists, and let his forehead rest against the alley wall. That was it. There was no running now. As much as Law hated to rely on Doflamingo, he hoped that the older man would come find him before things got to court.

"Captain Smoker, have you...oh, you found him."

Smoker turned at the sound of the feminine voice as he tugged Law away from the wall. His eyes fell on a fellow officer, and Smoker puffed away at his cigars, one hand firmly gripping the handcuffs around Law's wrists, "Tashigi. What took you so long?"

"We got turned around. Since you've arrested him, I guess we don't need to call in any back up?" Tashigi stepped to one side as Smoker, leading Law along, passed by her. She fell into step next to him as Smoker tugged Law up to walk alongside him.

Smoker was silent for a moment as he cast an eye over the now silent Law, before he glanced at Tashigi, "No. Call them in. Set up extra patrols around the police station, and the prison. I don't want Doflamingo to show up unannounced and try to free one of his men."

Tashigi chanced a look at Law, who was staring straight ahead, "Are you sure he would do that for just one man, Smoker?"

"He came in person eight years ago when Law was arrested on suspicion of smuggling." Smoker turned a corner and headed for the street, "Since it has come out that Doflamingo has had illegal activities going on behind the scene for near to two decades, it is likely that the rumors back then were true."

"And the rumor that smuggling went on is looking to be true as well, which means..."

Smoker nodded absently at the other officer's words, "That's right. Most of the people who worked for Doflamingo at one time or another more than likely have taken part in those illegal acts. This one..." Smoker jerked his head Law's way, "...Has been off the grid for at least six or seven years while he went and got his license to practice medicine."

"But why would he have..."

"Not now, Tashigi. Wait until we get to the station." Smoker looked Law over, "Nothing to say? Or are you waiting for a lawyer before talking?" he highly doubted that was the case. Law had been narrowly caught eight years ago, and tonight, he was out of luck. Smoker had wondered why Law had gone to a city in the south, but figured that it was do to Doflamingo living there. "Did you think that moving to the city your boss lives in was a good idea? With what you pulled not a month later?"

Law's lips curled at that, but he remained silent. He hadn't been the one to kill all those people to get the police's attention. Sure, he had killed before, but he had been discreet about it, and Doflamingo had always had someone to clean up afterward so no one would know what had happened. The disappearance of the person would be a missing person's case, and not murder. Law kept walking, not in the mood to have Smoker drag him along if he was being too slow about it. Lawyer or no, it sounded like Smoker and the other cops had found out Doflamingo's dirty little secret, and there was no covering that up, no matter how hard the older man might try to. Law could only hope that the rest of the family was being extra careful, though the dark haired man was fairly certain that Doflamingo would make sure to get to as many of them as he could before the police ferreted out anyone else.

"…Tashigi, is the car nearby?" Smoker tightened his grip on Law's wrists, "I don't like that Doflamingo hasn't been spotted. The sooner we get back to the station, the better. That man is less likely to try anything if there are a lot of people. Even he would be hard pressed to reach one person if there are countless others around." He didn't think that Law was actually worth the trouble, but Doflamingo wasn't very easy to read. He could very well try and reach Law, and if they weren't prepared, there could be more to worry about than Doflamingo making a clean getaway with Law. That, and a lot of paperwork.

"I'll have the car ready to go as soon as we get to the street, sir." Tashigi responded, as she began to walk a little ahead of Smoker.

Law almost thought that Doflamingo would have dropped down from one of the roofs of the building to get to him, but knew that that was a stupid thought. Doflamingo probably didn't even know where he was, or that Trafalgar was no longer in control of his body. As soon as they reached the street, and Law saw the waiting police cruiser, he knew that no help would come that evening. Quietly, Law allowed Smoker to help him into the car. The door shutting sounded impossibly loud, and Law leaned backward against the backseat, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

This was something that never should have happened. Doflamingo had always been careful to keep things off the grid, to make sure that those in the family that wanted a legitimate job could do so without worrying about the past being found out, but now…

Law looked out the window of the car.

Now, he was paying the price for something that damn spirit had done in his place, and things weren't looking very good.

-x-

Doflamingo watched the car speed away toward the police station, his lips drawn in a thin line. What he had just seen transpire had not been what he had expected, and it just figured that that nosy captain from the north city had decided to come and help try to find him. And instead had found Law, and believed that the other man would know where the blond was. Doflamingo stared up at the sky silently, before he let out a slow breath. It also appeared as if Law were back in control of his body, and confused as to why he was being arrested. There was no other way around it. He was going to have to go to the station and get Law out of there before he said anything more that might make the cops be more inclined to press the screws on the dark haired man. The city they were currently in wasn't above interrogation, and while Doflamingo was confident that Trafalgar would have been able to remain silent, he wasn't as sure about Law.

With a shake of his head at the way things were, Doflamingo followed the car from the rooftops. It seemed like he would have to rescue Law first before he did something about Trafalgar.

-x-

"The longer you stay quiet, the worse things will be for you." Smoker commented from where he was leaning up against the wall, facing the cell.

Law lifted his head from where he'd been staring down at the ground absently, "I don't have anything to say." And he didn't. He wasn't going to say anything incriminating about his family. The cops may have learned things about him, but he wasn't going to say anything to jeopardize anyone else. Especially not Monet, since she had been working in the same hospital as he had been for a short time.

Smoker replaced one of his cigars and eyed Law quietly, "The fact that you worked for Doflamingo, and knew that he had illegal activities going on is bad news for you. If you had reported it, you may have been able to get a lighter sentence. But the fact that you not only knew, but participated in those illegal acts, won't be overlooked. It isn't looking good for you."

"All the more reason not to say anything." Law responded. He knew that Smoker was trying to get him to let something slip, but he wasn't going to do that. No matter what.

"You do know that this city still has its old interrogation methods in place that other cities have banned. One way or another someone is going to get the information out of you, whether you want to or not." Smoker puffed out a breath of smoke, "I was told to try and see if you would voluntarily offer information, but I guess that was hoping for too much."

Law almost said something, but kept his mouth shut.

Smoker noticed, and he sighed, "Don't waste my time, Law. I know what the interrogation methods are, and I doubt that even you wouldn't break eventually. Those that carry them out are ruthless and efficient." Smoker looked away, "I disapprove of the methods, but there isn't much I can do. It is outside my jurisdiction, but the police of this city were willing to let me try and persuade you to talk. To give you a lighter sentence, if you gave them the info they wanted to hear."

"And the fact that we used to be friends has nothing to do with it?" Law asked dryly, surprised that the other cops were even willing to let Smoker do that.

Smoker shook his head, "Not friends. Acquaintances. Your help was useful in apprehending those criminals, but I hadn't thought for a moment in those two years that you were one." Smoker met Law's eyes briefly, "I can't believe you ever fooled me."

"I wasn't trying to. I just thought that it was obvious who had been committing the crimes and had pointed it out when I wasn't studying." Law responded, even though he didn't want to really talk right now. The idea of being interrogated was an unpleasant thought.

Smoker was about to say something more, when he was suddenly side swept from the side by something much bigger than he was. Smoker grunted as he was taken to the ground, and a heavy weight half rested on his chest.

"Doflamingo-ya." Law stated, surprised. He hadn't expected the other man to show, and certainly not so soon, with all of the cops surrounding the building by Smoker's orders.

"I'm disappointed Law. I thought I taught you better." Doflamingo said lightly, half resting on Smoker's chest with one hand wrapped around the officer's throat.

"What happened to the men…I had stationed outside?" Smoker gasped, reaching for his weapon that had been knocked just out of his grasp.

"Fufufufu. You need more than that to keep me out of somewhere I intend to go. Or plan to leave, for that matter." Doflamingo reached over and plucked the keys off the wall, and tossed them over toward Law.

Law reached out of the bars and caught the ring of keys. "This isn't the best idea." Was all Law said as he unlocked the cell door. Stepping outside of the small cage, Law dropped the keys to the ground and stood near the doorway to the cells. "We should go."

"Yes, but I think I'll make sure that we aren't followed." Doflamingo responded, the unsaid threat obvious as he let his hand rest more heavily around Smoker's throat.

"Leave him alone, Doflamingo-ya. Whatever you did to the rest of the officers isn't going to remain quiet. We need to leave, before reinforcements show."

Doflamingo frowned, but after glancing down at Smoker, he decided that the other man wasn't going to be in any shape to follow them right away, and relented. The older man let go of Smoker carelessly and rose, and walked over to where Law was waiting. With a grin back in place, Doflamingo reached out and ruffled Law's hair, his voice teasing, "Little brothers like you really do give me quite a lot of trouble."

Law almost groaned at that, "Don't start that again Doflamingo-ya."

Doflamingo chuckled, but at the sound of shouting, he swiftly picked Law up and started for a window.

That kind of treatment didn't sit well with Law, and he let the older man know so, "Put me down, Doflamingo-ya. I can keep up with you just fine."

"Sure you can, but can you outrun a car? Or run across rooftops?"

Smoker heard glass break, and gasping for air, lifted his head in time to see Doflamingo leave through a broken window, taking Law with him.

"Captain Smoker? Are you all right?"

Coughing, Smoker got to his knees, and looked over at Tashigi, "Get everyone out after them. Do not let them escape. If they get away it is going to be a long time before we find them again."

"Yes sir."

-x-

Law had fallen into a sullen silence as Doflamingo sped over rooftops like it was nothing, and it probably was. The sirens were fading, but still close at hand, and Law didn't like one bit that he heard gunshots going off. Since there was nothing he could do but wait for Doflamingo to get them somewhere relatively safe, Law decided to speak, "Why were they after me? How did they find out that I worked for you?"

"…I didn't tell them anything about you, but I admit that I was...careless. When Trafalgar was possessing your body, I ended up having him assassinate some people, and caught up in the moment, I had him kill some people where the cops would catch him and arrest him. However, I had forgotten that they would assume it was you, and…"

"You really  _are_  going senile." Law said in a deadpan tone, "How could you forget something important like that?"

"I'll make it up to you. There's only so far that they will go to track us down. They'll forget about it as soon as they find that there are no tracks to follow." Doflamingo leapt high and landed on another roof.

"I doubt you are really that efficient or well off enough to make something like that happen. And I doubt Smoker is content to let things lie as they are."

Doflamingo chuckled ominously, "You shouldn't have interfered. I would have killed him and that would have been one less person looking for us."

"Or another reason to find us more quickly." Law responded, before he chanced a look around, "Where are we going?"

"One of my safe houses. I have them scattered around the city. I told some of the others to go there if the cops were being suspicious with them. No one should be able to find us." Doflamingo knew that Law was going to be annoyed at having to hunker down in a small house with him, but knew that that annoyance wouldn't last for too long. It would blow off after a while, and at least it wouldn't be the obvious grudge that Trafalgar still held against him. Doflamingo shook his head. He was going to have to finish with Trafalgar sooner rather than later, if he ever wanted to focus on what had become of the present.

-x-

The house was small, but as Doflamingo had stated, it was unlikely that the police would come this far out to look for them. Except, perhaps, Smoker and his men, but for now it wasn't looking as if anyone were going to break down the door.

And besides, Law had something more important to focus on at the moment, "Doflamingo-ya?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to be setting me down anytime soon? We are indoors now."

Doflamingo grinned, "I could carry you to bed. You were cute as a kid when you and Monet wanted to be carried off to bed."

Law flushed at the memory, before he smacked a hand against Doflamingo's nearest shoulder, "Put me down now." He knew that hitting the other man wouldn't actually hurt him, but didn't put much force behind the action anyway.

"Still such a kid." Doflamingo laughed as Law hit him again, but set the younger man down on his feet.

"I hope there are two beds, or you are sleeping on the couch."

Doflamingo laughed as he sat down on said couch, "Yes, there is. Go to bed. Maybe you'll be friendlier in the morning."

Law shook his head and turned away to head for one of the rooms. He was tired, and dealing with Doflamingo right now wasn't very appealing to him, not to mention exhausting. Perhaps he'd be more able to think clearly after a good night's sleep. At least he wasn't in danger for the moment, or in a cell with the possibility of being interrogated.

Doflamingo watched Law shut himself in one of the rooms, before he rose from the couch and went into the second room. Settling on the bed on his back, Doflamingo closed his eyes. He had made his decision back up on the rooftop. He had decided that he wasn't quite finished with Trafalgar. He had a way of locating the other man, whether he was a spirit floating around the world of the living, or as a spirit that had gone to the land of the dead. It didn't matter to him either way. Trafalgar wasn't going to escape him until he was through with him.

Doflamingo smiled to himself. He was just a spirit possessing a body, and while it had been his for some time, it didn't matter. He belonged in both worlds right now, and he would use that connection to his benefit. The older man wasn't quite ready to let go of his shared past with Trafalgar.

Not yet.


	48. Calm

The seventh morning in the new city came, and Trafalgar was relaxed by now, as it was the end of the week and no one had come after him from the city he had fled. Before he had been tense and worried that, despite sailing off to a new city, that his past would continue to linger around him, and never quite leave him in peace. If Doflamingo were going to follow after him, and he would have, if he weren't dead, the older man would have already done so. Doflamingo would also have made it perfectly clear to the dark haired man in some way to let him know of his intentions. Since he had not, Trafalgar had calmed and stopped acting as if Doflamingo would break down a door and appear behind him. And with that calm, Trafalgar could clearly tell that that outward calm was something that Kidd liked.

The dark haired man took a sip of his drink and smirked faintly. Or it could be that his red haired lover merely enjoyed that he was giving him more attention now that he wasn't worrying that Doflamingo would show up and ruin things by doing who knows what. Trafalgar's smile slipped a little as he cast a quick peek across the small table at Kidd. The dark haired man went back to his drink. Trafalgar knew what it would involve, and figured that somewhere along the line Doflamingo would have Kidd end up dead, just like Corazon, and after that unpleasant sight was burned into his mind, Doflamingo would attempt to try and 'win him over' so to speak. That would be painful no matter how Trafalgar chose to react to that, and more so since the dark haired man had no intention whatsoever to be anywhere near Doflamingo. The sight of blood leaving someone one he cared about was something that couldn't be rid from memory, and Trafalgar was not keen on adding Kidd to that terrible sight.

Trafalgar stared at the table. No, he wouldn't let that happen again. If Doflamingo ever showed his face in this city to torment him, the dark haired man would make damn sure that he didn't get his hands on Kidd. Or be anywhere near the redhead. Trafalgar didn't want to see anyone be taken away from him again right in front of his eyes, unable to do anything to stop it. His whole crew, and then Corazon...

"Trafalgar?"

The dark haired doctor blinked and looked up to meet Kidd's gaze. From the other man's expression, Trafalgar knew that it would be useless to lie about where his thoughts were now dwelling. Even if he had told Kidd about his crew, he wasn't ready to spill the beans on what had happened to Corazon. It wasn't something he wanted to relive unless it was absolutely necessary, or if he felt that it would allow Kidd to somewhat understand why, when the redhead had first been injured a few months into their relationship, that he had looked afraid of what state he would find Kidd in. Seeing that blood, but seeing that Kidd was alive, if irritable and beaten up, was a relief. More than the redhead realized.

"Trafalgar? Hey."

Trafalgar studied the crease in Kidd's brow, and found the redhead to be entirely cute with the way that he looked worried about him. Well, as concerned as Kidd would allow himself to be, which was sometimes hard to tell by his expressions, or even his actions. His voice, however, told Trafalgar what he couldn't always see. The dark haired man finished his drink and set the glass aside, "What is it, Eustass-ya? You were in the midst of telling me about another poorly executed raid you went on with your crew, when you decided the food in front of you was far more interesting and stopped talking." Which had left the dark haired man to dwell on the unpleasant thought that was Doflamingo.

Kidd blinked at Trafalgar, before moodily drinking out of a rather large mug, "Jackass. You didn't hear anything I said after that because you were thinking about something." Kidd studied Trafalgar more closely, "Or someone, I suppose, by how distracted you are even looking at me."

Trafalgar shook his head as he tilted his head to glance at the clock, "As your thoughts are a mystery to me, mine can be that way to you as well..." The dark haired man stopped talking abruptly, taking in the time, before he swore, "Dammit Eustass-ya! Why didn't you tell me what time it was? I'm going to be late!"

Kidd shifted in his chair as he took a large gulp of some piss poor tasting beer as he grinned across the table at his lover, "Probably because you were actually paying attention to me today and I wanted it to last longer?" The sly, lazy smirk Kidd received meant that he had said something right. He opened his mouth to say something, before he shook his head, and, still amused, added, "You better get going then, huh? Not that they'll fire your ass. You're too good a surgeon to kick out if you're a few minutes late."

Trafalgar smiled at Kidd's obvious attempt to cover up what he had been going to say, whatever it was. The dark haired man leaned across the small table and pecked Kidd on the cheek. Trafalgar pulled away, and smirked at the faint flush that crossed Kidd's face from the action. "Don't stay up too late if I'm not back by dinner. You were like the dead yesterday night. No fun." Not waiting for Kidd's spluttered response, Trafalgar got out of his seat and rushed out of the restaurant they were in. Kidd could pay the bill this time around for not mentioning the time. Getting his bearings just outside the front door of the restaurant, Trafalgar hurried toward the hospital. Trafalgar checked the time once more, and relaxed faintly. Good, he wasn't going to be late. He would actually be able to make it with a little time to spare, and get his breath under control so it didn't look like he had run to work the whole way.

As he walked along, Trafalgar wondered what Kidd had actually been going to say to him. The dark haired man pondered it silently for a moment. It certainly wasn't whatever the red head had said to him. It had been covered over with amusement for his predicament, but there was something else...

Trafalgar glanced up to see how much further he had to go, and decided that he would just ask Kidd later. He did have ways of worming information out of his lover, and neither one of them would mind it. As Trafalgar sped his walk to a jog, just to make sure he did have that extra time, the dark haired man startled and stumbled to a stop as he whipped around, his gaze darting to and fro. He could have sworn that he had just seen...

Trafalgar looked around at the crowd frantically, still searching for something, even though he knew that it couldn't have been real. He thought he had just seen Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, as well as a few of his other crew members, walk by him. The dark haired man spent a moment more searching, before he turned away and shook his head at his own actions. He was imagining things. That had to be it. His crew was dead and had been for 8 years. They had all been killed by Doflamingo, and there was no bringing any of them back after the older man had finished with them.

The blood, the splatter, even from a distance was horrifying to a nineteen year old who knew there was nothing he could do but go die with them if he revealed his connection to them. He felt like a coward for abandoning them when he may have been able to save even one of his crew, but Doflamingo...

Trafalgar started to walk again.

There was no way to have gotten to his crew without first going through Doflamingo, and it was clear from his first meeting with the man that that was impossible. His crew's deaths haunted him, but Trafalgar felt that his crew would have insisted that he stay away from harm, no matter how much he wanted to help them.

Trafalgar broke into a run down the sidewalk, in a futile attempt to leave the past behind, but no matter how hard he tried or how far he ran, he couldn't escape it.

The dead couldn't come back to life.

The thought was in his mind as Trafalgar reached the hospital, but as he walked inside it, he didn't realize that there were people watching him from the shadows.

Watching and waiting.

-x-

Kidd remained behind in the restaurant to finish his third drink. He needed it if only to try and give him more time to think about what to do when Trafalgar returned home that night. Kidd knew from the look that Trafalgar had given him that the other man knew that he was hiding something. What it was, Trafalgar obviously didn't know. Otherwise, he would have been more angry at the redhead for not letting the truth slip out. That no matter what happened, no one would care if he was late to work, because in reality there was no one to operate on but shades that gave off the impression that they needed to be saved by a surgeon. Kidd really didn't like the other specters, but if they kept Trafalgar away from the truth, all Kidd had to do was ignore them.

The redhead glanced around, and recognized a few people here and there, but over all, there were a lot of people that merely looked oddly blurry, like they weren't even really there, but masqueraded as people. Though Kidd supposed that they could look like people to those who knew them. Kidd shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about the strange scenery and instead think about what he was going to do later that evening. Kidd needed to be able to distract Trafalgar in some way, which shouldn't be very hard...

Kidd began to grin as he set his empty glass down and rose as a deviously simple thought crossed his mind. He knew exactly what he was going to do. It would intrigue Trafalgar and hopefully sidetrack him. If all went as planned, that is. Kidd was fairly certain that it would work, even if the thought wasn't carried out to completion. After all, Trafalgar would probably be pleased that Kidd was the one taking the initiative. He was going to attempt to replicate their first night together but try to make it more intimate. Kidd headed for the door. And tiring Trafalgar out would please him and ensure that the dark haired man would forget all about the slip that Kidd had made.

Trafalgar wasn't the only one who could lose control, if provided certain motivation.

-x-

Trafalgar was exhausted by the time he returned to Kidd's house. Or rather, their house, as his red haired lover had insisted when he asked whose it was. Trafalgar paused on the step right before the door, and let out a slow sigh. He felt as if he could fall asleep standing upright, and he knew that Kidd wouldn't like that. After all, the dark haired man had made an expression at the restaurant that morning that clearly made Kidd know that something was going to happen tonight. Trafalgar let out a low laugh. It seemed more likely that that something was going to be him falling asleep on Kidd's chest half way through some kind of foreplay that would leave Kidd horny and frustrated as he slept on, oblivious.

The dark haired man grimaced at the thought, since something similar had happened to him with Kidd when the redhead had been dead weary and not motivated to move much. Maybe he should stay at the inn tonight. He had told Kidd not to wait up for him. Perhaps he could slip in bed in the morning and Kidd would be none the wiser. He was a heavy sleeper.

Trafalgar rested a hand on the door knob of the front door. No, he ought to stay in the house. The lights were mainly out, and that made him think that Kidd was asleep after all.

The door was unlocked.

Trafalgar paused again, wondering why that was. Kidd usually locked it. Before he could think too much about it, a voice spoke from inside.

"How long are you planning on standing out there, Trafalgar?"

Trafalgar smiled wearily. Kidd must have noticed him approaching the house and unlocked it for him. How unusually thoughtful of him. The dark haired man knew there was no other way about it. He would just have to let Kidd know he was too tired to stay awake and play any games. Trafalgar turned the knob and stepped inside, mouth open to tell Kidd off, when Kidd invaded his personal space and kissed him, taking advantage of his open mouth. Trafalgar moaned into the unexpected kiss as he fumbled with one hand to slam the door shut. As soon as that was accomplished, he reached up and threaded his hands through Kidd's hair to make him lean over into the kiss.

The dark haired man felt Kidd chuckle into the kiss, and shivered slightly at the other man's hands trailing down his side, before the redhead pushed him backwards. Trafalgar allowed Kidd to push him, and smiled into the still ongoing kiss as Kidd pinned him against the front door. The dark haired man dropped his hands from Kidd's hair as the redhead slid his jacket down his shoulders and off, tossing it aside carelessly as he slid his artificial left hand up beneath Trafalgar's shirt. The dark haired man felt the cold touch as it caressed him slowly, but after being touched with it so many times, Trafalgar had begun to enjoy the sensation whenever Kidd would chose to corner him like this.

Kidd broke the kiss and started to nose along the side of Trafalgar's throat, nipping here and there before he bit down lightly on the side of the dark haired man's exposed shoulder.

Trafalgar let his head thump against the door, bracing himself against it as Kidd mouthed the skin. Kidd hadn't done this before, he thought dimly, as Kidd's right hand went to his belt and started to undo it. He was not going to try and stop him, as even though he was tired, Trafalgar didn't want to ruin the mood now by telling Kidd he was unlikely to get an erection because he was just too worn out to even hold the concentration to do so.

Kidd left Trafalgar's neck alone as he dropped to his knees and took the belt off all the way and dropped his lover's pants down.

Trafalgar shifted so that his legs were farther apart, partially for balance, and partially to make it easier for Kidd to do what he was obviously going to do. Trafalgar was beginning to feel aroused, but his body just wasn't yet in the mood to reflect that. He hoped that Kidd wouldn't be offended, and then decided that it didn't matter to him. It would just make Kidd try harder to make him in the mood, and the dark haired man would be amused to see him try to do so. Trafalgar felt Kidd laugh at the fact that he had only worn pants (something Trafalgar had planned for that day) and was sorry that he wasn't as ready to participate as Kidd obviously was.

"Heh, you're not hard at all. Are you tired or just trying to insult me?" Kidd nipped the inside of Trafalgar's thigh.

"Guess." Trafalgar said as he leaned heavily against the door as Kidd's mouth got closer to his pathetically limp dick.

"Hm...tired. Normally you'd shove me over and start where I left off." Kidd decided, and stood up as he kissed the side of Trafalgar's chin, his right hand sneakily wrapping around his member and stroking lightly.

Trafalgar bit his lip but said nothing. If Kidd wanted to try and work him into a state of arousal even though he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, he was more than welcome to try. "If I weren't so tired you'd be tied up and I'd be doing something to you that would make you lose that cheeky grin you're wearing right now." Trafalgar gasped as Kidd squeezed him and kissed him again, pressing up against him.

There was a short silence in which Trafalgar could do nothing but feel Kidd's hands and lips, before suddenly, the red head stepped away from him. It left the dark haired man taking in short gasps of breath, and trying to decide if he should hitch his pants back up or leave them off. Trafalgar lifted his gaze to meet Kidd's questioningly. Like he had figured, the redhead was wearing a massive grin and seemed to be very pleased with himself. Trafalgar was about to demand what was so amusing when he noticed something that he hadn't before.

Kidd had moved a few feet away from him, and Trafalgar could see what he hadn't seen before.

Naked.

Kidd was completely naked.

The weariness that Trafalgar had been feeling most of the night partially vanished as he took in the sight, his back still against the door as he looked Kidd up and down. He liked seeing Kidd like this, and other than ambushing him in a mini make out, it was obvious that Kidd was up to something. The dark haired man approved of it, whatever it was, so long as Kidd kept his clothes off. Trafalgar's gaze roved over Kidd more slowly, even though he really felt like he wanted to press himself up against his lover and run his hands all over him, weariness be damned. Since Kidd had said nothing of his lack of clothes, Trafalgar spoke calmly, "Have you already eaten?" The dark haired man restrained himself from cornering Kidd against a wall, since the redhead was acting as if he weren't fully naked and half aroused from the short make out session.

Kidd smiled at that, and it was clear he knew that Trafalgar was pretending that nothing was different, "I haven't. I was waiting for you." At that Kidd turned and headed to the left of the staircase in front of the entry way, as he went toward the small dining room and kitchen.

Trafalgar watched Kidd as he walked, his eyes drawn to Kidd's bare backside for several seconds, and the dark haired doctor decided that he liked the view. After taking another moment more to appreciate the sight, Trafalgar hitched up his pants back up before he followed after Kidd. The redhead could always remove them again in the near future. It seemed this evening was going to be interesting, whether Trafalgar was tired or not. Kidd had to have known the effect he was having on him by not wearing any clothes, and Trafalgar wondered how long the redhead would hold out before trying to make another move on him.

Much to Trafalgar's disappointment, their meal was eaten entirely in silence, and was devoid of any sexual advances.

Trafalgar stared at Kidd throughout the entire meal, and the fact that the red head was feigning ignorance made the dark haired man slightly annoyed. Trafalgar finished his food first so that he could resume staring at Kidd as his red haired lover finished. Trafalgar held still when Kidd slid out of his seat and went around the table and over to him. Trafalgar felt Kidd's hands slide over his shoulders, followed by Kidd's lips as he nuzzled the left side of the dark haired man's neck.

"Do you need a bath tonight?"

Trafalgar thought that that sounded like an invitation to take a bath together. That didn't happen often despite the amount of time they spent together, so the dark haired man was more than up for a little playing before he dropped off into an exhausted sleep. Trafalgar smirked as he got out of the chair and fixed Kidd with a smoldering gaze, hoping the redhead knew that he had better do what he had insinuated, "I suppose I could use one. It was a long day at work."

Kidd smirked in return, "I'll get one started then." The redhead turned and headed for the staircase. If he swaggered slightly, then it was merely for show for the man behind him.

Trafalgar followed close behind, and he just barely managed to prevent himself from touching his lover's skin. For now. Trafalgar had discarded his pants after reaching the stairs, and was surprised to find that he had managed to get half hard after all. Apparently his body was horny enough that it finally decided to wake up. Trafalgar stood in the doorway to watch Kidd start the bath, and absently began to remove his shirt. While he would have liked Kidd to do so, Trafalgar didn't want things to slow down. His smirk grew as he got a good look at his lover's whole back, and the play of muscles stretching and flexing as he maneuvered around in the small room.

Kidd stepped away after a moment, the sound of water still running, to face Trafalgar.

Trafalgar couldn't help it as he moved forward and pressed himself up against Kidd. It was as if that single gaze had been an invitation as Kidd's words had been. Trafalgar needed to touch his lover now, and as his hands slid along Kidd's skin, the dark haired man was pleased when Kidd wrapped his arms around his back after a moment. Leaning up, Trafalgar met Kidd in a kiss. It was only after the brief kiss that the dark haired man realized that Kidd was up to something, because the red head had suddenly let go of him.

Trafalgar wore a confused expression, through it vanished when he saw that Kidd was grinning at him again, "Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar was slightly irritated that Kidd had stopped, and hoped that the other man would continue with what he had been doing as soon as he had walked through the front door. Unfortunately, it appeared that the redhead had other plans.

Kidd walked around Trafalgar, reaching out to pat the dark haired man's bare shoulder as he headed into the bedroom across the hall. "See you in bed."

Trafalgar wasn't sure what to think, other than that Kidd had better be joking and turn around, "Eustass-ya." Trafalgar warned. Kidd had better not be teasing him, because Trafalgar was not in the mood for that. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the case, and Trafalgar all but glowered at Kidd when the other man sent a mock innocent smile over his shoulder at him.

The dark haired man stared at the darkened room Kidd had disappeared into, beyond frustrated now. He had thought for sure that Kidd was going to help strip him the rest of the way and join him in the bathtub.

Apparently not.

Trafalgar was so going to get that cocky bastard as soon as he'd cleaned up.

-x-

He knew that this was going to be worth it. He'd seen the way Trafalgar had reacted to his little display, and knew that, despite any annoyance, the dark haired man was fully distracted from any uncomfortable topics of conversation.

Kidd watched the bathroom door slam shut from the darkness of the bedroom. Scratch that. Trafalgar was definitely going to have a conversation with him, and it was likely to be about how he shouldn't tease him so damn much. Kidd didn't mind though. He'd rather it be about that than trying to figure out how to avoid telling Trafalgar that they were dead and in some weird state that allowed them to live some kind of continued existence.

The redhead turned away from the shut door and headed toward the bed instead. Perhaps he would wait for that annoyance to reach tolerable levels, and the best way to do that was to feign slumber. Trafalgar had looked tired enough when he walked through the door as it was, so it was entirely possible that he would end up falling asleep while trying to wake Kidd up. And he wouldn't realize that the red head was faking it. Kidd slipped beneath the sheets of his bed and closed his eyes. Trafalgar's expression had been priceless either way. Kidd had known which way his thoughts were headed and Kidd, while regretting not 'helping' his lover take a bath, felt that he was well on his way of getting Trafalgar to forget about his slip of almost saying something that morning.

Not twenty minutes later, Kidd heard the bathroom door open and the sound of soft footsteps approached the bed. Kidd held perfectly still as Trafalgar slipped into the bed and pressed close against him, hands trailing all over the skin that he could reach, including his still half aroused member. Kidd feigned slumber, which was difficult to do half hard, and not make any noise. He knew it would annoy his lover further, and get him to think about only the present.

"You had better not be sleeping." Trafalgar hissed, when Kidd didn't react to any of his initial touches. The dark haired man tried to check by touching Kidd in more intimate places, before he finally just wrapped a hand around the red head's member and started to slowly stroke it.

It was torture not to respond to that touch but Kidd managed it even if he did have to shift slightly. And in doing that, he gave himself away. But that wasn't the point. Distracting Trafalgar was.

"You're getting harder. You're awake, aren't you?" Trafalgar growled as he began to run his hand along more quickly, flicking the tip with a thumb for emphasis.

Kidd held out a minute longer before he let out a groan as Trafalgar squeezed his dick and pinched down on his chest, "I thought you were tired." Kidd finally stated, and though he thought that Trafalgar would have something to say to that, he didn't. Instead, he chose action, and it was one that made Kidd lose his composure ever so slightly. Kidd felt Trafalgar press tightly up against his back, as if he were about to skip the foreplay and jump straight into sex. Kidd could feel Trafalgar's now fully aroused length against his backside as the dark haired man growled something under his breath crossly.

Kidd swiftly flipped the two of them over so that he was holding Trafalgar face down, using his muscles to overpower his lover when it seemed like the dark haired man had been about to resist. Kidd settled over Trafalgar to prevent him from rising and used his hands to keep the other man's wrists firmly against the bed. Kidd leaned over and bit down harshly on the left side of Trafalgar's shoulder, drawing a gasp of surprise from the other man. Kidd let the pressure hold for a moment before he let go and whispered against his lover's skin, tone full of warning, "I hope you weren't thinking of fucking me just like that, you sick son of a bitch. Remember the last time you tried that?" Because Kidd sure had, and it had been painful enough that he had rolled over it bed and shaken Trafalgar off.

They didn't speak for two weeks after that incident.

"I thought you were asleep." Trafalgar snapped in accusation, even though both of them knew it was a lie. The dark haired man tried to throw Kidd to one side and off of his back but it only made his lover rest more heavily over him. Trafalgar relaxed and Kidd left off some of the weight. With a frustrated exhalation, Trafalgar added, "And you teased me. You made out with me in the front hall, and you were thinking of giving me a blowjob. On top of that, you were completely naked and didn't let me take advantage of that yet." Trafalgar glanced out of the corner of his eye at Kidd, who was looming over him, "And then you had the gall to not even take a bath with me and you most certainly hinted at it."

"I never said I would." Kidd licked the bite mark he had made and breathed against it as his hands tightened around Trafalgar's wrists. He could tell that Trafalgar was trying to get away, but he wasn't going to let him do that tonight. It was Kidd's turn to play. Before Trafalgar could protest further, Kidd rolled both of them onto their sides and wrapped his right arm around Trafalgar's waist to hold his lover's back up against his chest. Kidd's left hand trailed up along Trafalgar's chest, before it went up to his throat, where the hand rested firmly around it, pressing lightly, the implied threat clear. Kidd smiled, pleased, when he felt Trafalgar go limp as his breath quickened. Kidd knew he would like this. Dangerous games were always fun, and the threat of injury or death only made it more interesting.

Kidd loomed over his lover, using the hand around Trafalgar's throat to turn his head slightly so that he could kiss the dark haired man. Kidd indulged in the kiss before he mumbled against his lips, "I think I'm gonna fuck you until you collapse. And if you're still conscious after that, I'll make you beg for more." Kidd felt a shudder run throughout his lover's body and grinned wolfishly. Oh yes, Trafalgar certainly did like the idea. Kidd's left hand tightened around the dark haired man's throat when he felt Trafalgar rest a hand over his.

Trafalgar swallowed before he spoke, the lust apparent in his voice as he squeezed Kidd's wrist, "Impress me."

Kidd squeezed his left hand around Trafalgar's throat lightly in return, which made Trafalgar let go and arch backwards into him as his right hand wrapped around his member, "Don't make it seem like I can't do that."

His air partially cut off, Trafalgar managed to wheeze a faint laugh, "Prove it then."

"Gladly." Kidd said darkly and he meant it. He was going to blow Trafalgar's mind and prove that he was just as dominant as the other man, as well as equally twisted. "So long as you can keep up with me."

Another wheezing laugh sounded and Kidd took it as a challenge. The redhead was going to do his best to drive Trafalgar wild.

The afterlife wasn't so bad after all. Or wherever it was, Kidd mused, as he let go of Trafalgar and shoved him toward the head of the bed. Kidd watched Trafalgar go willingly enough, but knew that he needed to keep an eye on his lover, who was likely to try and turn the tables on him as soon as an opportunity was presented. Kidd slid across the bed after Trafalgar, and waited for the other man to settle against the headboard, where Kidd was given a quirk of eyebrows and a sinister smirk. Kidd licked his lips in response and slid closer. Trafalgar was obviously still exhausted, but still capable of being dangerous if he felt like it.

Just the way Kidd liked him.


	49. A Nightmare

Trafalgar's brow rose at the sight of Kidd giving him a sharp grin, before the redhead invaded his space and started to kiss him. Interesting, but not any different than what they normally did. Trafalgar tilted his head to the side to allow Kidd better access, and spoke in a bored tone, "And this is supposed to impress me?" Trafalgar let out a yelp, and it was one, when Kidd forcefully picked him up so that he was on his knees. Trafalgar threw Kidd an annoyed look, but the grin that met his gaze made the dark haired man realize that Kidd hadn't even begun to start holding up what he said he was going to do. With that thought in mind, Trafalgar wasn't as surprised when Kidd swatted him and made him turn to face the headboard.

Interesting, that Kidd was so quiet, but still not interesting enough to...

Trafalgar heard a clink of metal and realized that the sly son of a bitch had suddenly handcuffed him and dropped the connecting chain over the high headboard so that he was forced to remain in a kneeling position. Trafalgar tested the handcuffs and chain, before glancing over his shoulder at Kidd with a questioning look, "Haven't we already done this in your cabin a week ago?" Sure, it had been with silk rope, but essentially the same...

A sharp sting distracted Trafalgar, and he couldn't help but let out a laugh, which caused another sting. Smirking, Trafalgar peeked over at Kidd, "I can't recall you ever doing that. Did you happen to have someone do it to you when we were away from one another? Did someone decide you were being a bad boy and needed to be disciplined through spanking?"

"Maybe. But I also slapped your ass when we first had sex, and you were quick to tell me to stop." Kidd grinned. "Gonna tell me to stop now too?"

Another stinging strike fell, and Trafalgar wiggled impatiently as he leaned against the headboard, "Does it make you aroused to slap me like I'm a misbehaving child?" Trafalgar bit his lip as Kidd's hand ran lightly along his member, searching. The hand pulled away, and Kidd's warm body soon pressed up against him.

"But you're not telling me that you don't like it now, are you?" Kidd asked as he bumped his head against the back of Trafalgar's head.

Traflagar thought Kidd's voice was a little deeper than usual, and nearly rolled his eyes, "You do, don't you?"

"If you're going to whine about it, how about I do this instead?"

Trafalgar winced as Kidd's right hand raked nails down one of his sides, and the dark haired man pressed backwards against Kidd, only to have the redhead shove him back against the headboard with another slap across his backside.

"I didn't tell you to move, did I?" Kidd growled, even though he did move closer to his lover, and leaned up against him comfortably.

Trafalgar closed his eyes as Kidd wrapped his right hand around his dick, and couldn't help but want to thrust his hips against the movement Kidd was making with that hand. But when he did, Kidd stopped and rested his left hand across the other man's ass warningly. Trafalgar blew out a sigh of frustration, before he went limp against the headboard. Obedience didn't sit well with him, because it only reminded him of Doflamingo and his instance that he could do whatever he wanted with the dark haired man's body.

Trafalgar twitched as Kidd's left hand lifted the chain off the head board, and turned him to face him as he settled the chain back over, preventing Trafalgar from escaping. Not that Trafalgar wanted to when he caught sight of Kidd's flushed and hungry gaze. Trafalgar spread his legs none too subtly and smiled wryly at Kidd, "Too bad your crew isn't around to interrupt us." Trafalgar studied Kidd's face, "I don't think you drew things out so long our first time. I thought you just shoved me down and told me to take it since I was so eager to be fucked, right?"

Kidd backed off for a moment to let his eyes rove over Trafalgar, smiling, "I didn't shove you down. You were already lying down. And I forgot, anyway. What did you say?"

Trafalgar eyed Kidd in return before the smirk returned. Leaning against the headboard, Trafalgar tilted his head, well aware of the image he presented with the way he had let his legs rest where they were, and his arms over his head clinking at the headboard, "I believe I said something to the effect of having you make me incapable of thinking." The dark haired man's smirk grew, "But it seems more like you have something you don't want to think about more than the desire to fuck me senseless right now..."

Kidd cut off Trafalgar's next words with a hasty kiss, and offered a smile at the harassed look of being interrupted, before he lowered his head to the other man's chest, "Oh, I'm gonna fuck you all right, I just want you to hear you beg like you did that first night. And don't lie, I know you did after the whole 'make me not think' thing." Kidd's lips closed over one of Trafalgar's nipples, amused when it made the other man hiss at the contact. Kidd pulled away after a brief moment and licked it, before he slid down further and kissed the inside of Trafalgar's thigh again, as he had earlier in the evening, "And beg like you mean it." Kidd glanced up at Trafalgar's heaving chest yet steady gaze, before he turned and focused on the other man's member.

-x-

Trafalgar let his head drop backward for the second time that night as Kidd's lips closed over him, and it felt to Trafalgar like his lover was drawing things out. The dark haired man spread his legs a little wider, shaking as Kidd settled his hands on either of his legs to hold him in place. "Eustass-ya..." Trafalgar breathed as Kidd took his member in nearly all the way. Kidd was sure as hell teasing him, just like he had when he wansn't exactly sure what he wanted. Even though the red head sure as hell knew what he wanted now.

The dark haired man pulled against the chain that held his cuffed hands up as a distraction as Kidd grew rougher with his ministrations. While Trafalgar enjoyed it when Kidd took the initiative, the way he was being so overbearing was a little strange. Kidd liked handcuffing him, or restraining him in some way, but he normally did it in a way that allowed Trafalgar to participate and tease Kidd in return.

It was different, but at the same time, it make him slightly uncomfortable about letting Kidd be the one with more freedom to decide what to do.

Trafalgar let a soft moan pass his lips as Kidd drew away, and tugged at the handcuffs again as Kidd licked his way up his abdomen and to the side of his neck, where he proceeded to lay sloppy kisses along the skin, and nip at either side of his collar bone. At the same time, Kidd's right hand wrapped around his member to continue where his mouth had left off, his metal left hand sliding around Trafalgar's back to hold the dark haired man in place.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Kidd stilled the movements of both hands, and bit down on Law's nearest earlobe to toy with the earrings, before whispering, "I told you I want to hear you beg, didn't I? You don't want me to draw it out like this, do you?"

Trafalgar heard the clink of metal as Kidd went back to toying with his earrings, but wasn't about to give in. It was a game, he decided, and one that he felt Kidd was using to test him in how far they had come in their relationship. To see if he could push aside his pride and admit that he wanted more. Wanted Kidd to keep doing what he was doing, and finish, instead of leaving him only half satisfied and frustrated. But he wasn't going to give in as easily as he had the first night they'd slept together. Then, he was weakened from the death of someone he cared about, and the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. But now...

The dark haired man shifted slightly so that he could thrust lightly up into Kidd's hand that still held his member. It was like begging, if only slightly, and Trafalgar knew that it wasn't at all what Kidd had meant. Trafalgar winced as Kidd left his ear alone and leaned over to bite him on his shoulder. Trafalgar grimaced, but wasn't about to let that make him beg. With a small smile, he moved his hips again, and felt a little relief, despite Kidd's hand being immobile. Trafalgar thought Kidd smirked against his skin, and heard the redhead growl lowly.

"If you want me to jerk you off, beg for it. Or you can keep trying what you're doing and not get anywhere."

Bastard.

Trafalgar couldn't see Kidd's face from where the redhead was currently licking another bite mark that he'd made. It hurt, but in a good way, and just as Kidd had said, stubborn, because he tried to do just that. He attempted to get off on merely moving within Kidd's hand, but after a few tries, was left only more frustrated and a little harder than he had been before. "Damn." The dark haired man cursed under his breath as he leaned his head back against the headboard again. Kidd was being unfair, but at the same time, he liked it. Liked that he couldn't get what he wanted unless he got Kidd to do it. Trafalgar felt Kidd settle back, both hands leaving him as they had in the front hall not an hour earlier.

The dark haired man glanced over at Kidd rummaging around before he produced a lotion of some sort. Trafalgar immediately snapped his legs together and brought them up as he sat up straighter. With a faint smirk at Kidd, he settled back against the headboard. He wasn't going to be left out. Perhaps if he made it more difficult for Kidd, the other man would leave off the begging part and get straight to the point. However, from the looks of it, Kidd wasn't going to do that. Trafalgar wondered why Kidd wanted him to beg so damn much when he was perfectly willing to have sex with him in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Kidd questioned as he snapped the lotion cap off with a twist of his fingers.

"What do you think?" Trafalgar asked in response. He knew perfectly well that with the way he was handcuffed and Kidd's strength that having his legs blocking the view of his member was unlikely to do any good. It would annoy Kidd, however, and that was worth it. Perhaps he could get Kidd to beg instead for joining in on dragging it out. And Trafalgar knew perfectly well that there was a point that Kidd would snap and that would be the end of this particular game and the start of another. An unhinged Kidd was a sight to see, and was well worth the injuries he'd be dealt because in turn the sex was hot and rough and made Trafalgar pass out most of the time.

Trafalgar eyed Kidd appraisingly. Damn good sex indeed, but he wasn't going to let slip that that was what he wanted this evening. His red haired lover was more than likely going to figure it out sooner rather than later anyway. The hand on one of his knees and then his resistance to letting Kidd part his legs was as good an indication as any to Kidd that that was the way his mind was headed, no matter what the redhead thought otherwise. Trafalgar saw the flicker of realization pass Kidd's face before his expression settled into an unnerving grin.

"...Don't you have work tomorrow?" Kidd asked as he let the pressure of his hand rest more heavily on Trafalgar's knee. It budged, but the dark haired man merely moved it back into place. Kidd's eyes flashed briefly in annoyance, "Aren't you tired?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if we don't do something soon, I'm likely to fall asleep." Trafalgar said matter of fact. He was goading Kidd now, and could tell that he was getting somewhere with his lover when a brief look of annoyance crossed Kidd's face again. Push. He had to keep pushing. If he was going to bottom again, he wanted damn good sex of the violent and heated variety, and Kidd had better give it to him. "Unless you were actually going to move things along instead of being slow? Or is the concept failing to stick?" Trafalgar thought that he would need to do more than that when Kidd did something unexpected.

He unlocked the cuffs from his wrists and tossed them off into the corner of the room with a loud clang. The dark haired man watched their progress, tsking as if Kidd were acting childish, "I wasn't complaining about the handcuffs, you know." When Kidd didn't respond, Trafalgar turned his eyes on his lover, and held still as he realized that Kidd wasn't altogether in the present as he gave Trafalgar a chilling look. "I do want to do something tonight, Eustass-ya, but that certainly isn't something I'm very fond of. I don't like it when I have to piece us back together afterwa..." Trafalgar ducked hastily to avoid having Kidd grab him with his artificial limb, and scrambled out of the bed to avoid the tackle that followed.

Well, he had most certainly set Kidd off, and not in a good way. The redhead was, in a way, still interested in blowing his mind with sex, but it seemed that that would have to wait until Kidd's temper lessened somewhat, as he was now in the game of 'grab and beat the shit out of the doctor', who was running his mouth and delaying things again.

"Get back here, Trafalgar."

The dark haired man immediately left the room, and heedless of being fully naked, made his way hastily down the stairs and to the kitchen. He was damn well arming himself with a kitchen knife, in an attempt to ward off Kidd's metal hand which the redhead more than likely wished to grab him with and beat him around for a bit. Trafalgar made it to the kitchen before he heard Kidd storming his way down the stairs, and decided that it was not in his best interest to have done this. He knew that Kidd had a nasty, violent temper on occasion, but it normally didn't all come after the dark haired man at once. Obviously both of them were in the mood and Trafalgar teasing Kidd instead of 'begging' had obviously annoyed the other man. Though this seemed a little excessive of a response to teasing.

"Trafalgar!"

Trafalgar ducked into the living room just as Kidd entered the kitchen, and hoped that Kidd would be too distracted to realize that he had taken several knives from the kitchen of varying sizes. Trafalgar tapped one of the knives thoughtfully against his bare knee as he tried to decide how much force was needed to knock Kidd over onto the ground. If he could disable his metal limb, it might snap him out of whatever angered state he was in. It would send him into another fit, but it wouldn't be bodily harm aimed at him. If Kidd happened to harm him now, Trafalgar knew the redhead would regret it later, and try to avoid him. The dark haired man didn't want that, but had to be careful now to make sure he avoided injury. Trafalgar strove to ignore his fully hard member at the excitement of being chased, and instead tried to focus on hearing Kidd come into the room. He hadn't, though, because Kidd had circled back around the stairs and into the living room from the other direction.

A laugh, a very dark one, sounded, "You want to play, Trafalgar? You'll need more than a few knives if you want to make it fun."

Trafalgar swiftly moved out of reach of Kidd and put the couch between them, wearing an easy smirk despite the fact that Kidd currently looked pissed as hell and obviously wanted nothing more than to strangle him for whatever reason. Trafalgar tilted his head haughtily. "I believe they'll do the job. You underestimate me."

"I think I'll take one then. So I can carve you up a bit like what you do to my back with your scalpels." Kidd lunged over the couch at Trafalgar, and only seemed further angered that Trafalgar showed no fear whatsoever, or if he did, it was expertly hidden. What happened next, Kidd hadn't expected at all, but it sure as hell got his attention, and broke him out of his current, over the top rage.

-x-

Kidd was going to get Trafalgar for this. He was going to beat the other man around a bit, not actually harming him too much, and then he would fuck him, and get that begging that he had demanded earlier. He was not going to take this slow as he had thought he would earlier. No, he wanted gratification now, as well as Trafalgar begging and saying his name. Perhaps while cutting his back up a bit as Trafalgar had done to him in the cellar of his house when they'd possessed Law and Eustass. Not that his lover remembered that.

The dark haired man sure could run fast, and Kidd couldn't help but laugh again at the sight of the knives that Trafalgar held. Naked but armed. It was quite a sight, and Kidd would enjoy it more as he completed his lunge over the couch. He wanted to see what Trafalgar would do with them, but if he caught his lover first, then he wouldn't know, as he'd be doing just as he said he would. Cut Trafalgar's back up a bit like the sick son of a bitch did to him.

What Kidd hadn't expected was for Trafalgar to sidestep him and plunge the largest knife into the upper part of his left arm, just shy of his skin, but buried deeply into the metal limb. Which went completely limp as it severed the connections that allowed movement, and completely threw Kidd's balance off. Kidd hit the ground as Trafalgar shoved him over, and rammed several more knives into the artificial limb to pin it to the ground. Kidd bit back a pained cry as Trafalgar rammed another knife into his right hand, pinning it to the ground above his head, and felt blood start to leak sluggishly out of it. Kidd knew that he wasn't in any danger of bleeding out or dying, and doubted that he would lose function of his hand, but...Trafalgar didn't know that.

Kidd peered up at his lover as he flinched at the knife in his hand, "What the...fuck?" The anger that had held sway over him was already fading due to being stabbed in the hand, and right the sight of Trafalgar's cold expression. Shit. Just as Trafalgar had set him off, he had set off the dark haired in return.

Trafalgar tossed the remaining knife aside as he reached over and none too gently flicked the knife buried in Kidd's right hand, "Someone needs to control their temper better." The words were emphasized with another flick to the handle of the blade.

Kidd bit his lip at the pain that washed throughout his body. The pain was an unwelcome feeling when one was dead, but the sight of Trafalgar's face was worse. Kidd couldn't move his left arm at all, and his right was starting to ache terribly. And it was more than likely that there was any sex in his future for some time with the dismissive way Trafalgar soon began to treat him with.

With a cool look, Trafalgar rose and padded out of the room, before he returned with a med kit.

Kidd found that funny, but knew better than to say anything of the sort. Trafalgar might actually leave the knife where it was. Instead, Kidd was silent when the dark haired man carefully but harshly wrenched the knife out of his right hand and cleaned it, before stitching it up in a quick, efficient way and bandaged the limb. Trafalgar didn't, however, pull out the knives from the metal limb. Kidd pointed it out sullenly as Trafalgar finished tying off the bandage, "Are you going to take those out too?" From the look on his lover's face, it was not likely to happen until morning.

Trafalgar looked over at the knives, before he picked up the med kit and walked out of the room without a word or a backwards glance.

Kidd waited for his dark haired lover to return, until he heard a door slam upstairs. Well, fuck, it looked like he wasn't going to get to screw Trafalgar into a bed tonight after all. The message was painfully clear, even without words. Since Kidd had lost it completely and hadn't been able to tone it down to a manageable level, there was going to be no sex to end the day with. Kidd rested his head back against the rug of the living room floor. He was still painfully aroused, but with a wounded hand and an incapacitated one, it looked like it was going to be a long night.

-x-

Trafalgar couldn't believe that Kidd hadn't yet managed, after two years, to figure out how to tamp down the aggression level when provoked. After only feeling a little guilty, Trafalgar rested in bed and, with a sigh, ran a hand along his member. Damn Kidd, not finishing what he had started sooner. It took a little longer to come with the thought of Kidd restrained in the living room downstairs in such a state, but Trafalgar managed. Still exhausted, the dark haired man curled up on his side and drifted off. He'd deal with Kidd in the morning. Something had been bothering both of them, and they needed to sort it out if this kind of a thing was going to happen.

The dark haired man knew that Kidd would eventually fall asleep as well, but what Trafalgar hadn't expected when he opened his eyes was to see that he was in an unfamiliar place. He certainly wasn't in the house with Kidd. He wasn't even with his red haired lover, though he knew that he'd left the redhead downstairs. Instead, he was in a dimly lit room, and faced with someone he had thought that he would never have to see again.

The person that Trafalgar thought he had finally managed to kill with Kidd's help, back in the hospital.

Doflamingo.

And at that, Trafalgar decided that he had to be in a nightmare. There was no other explanation for waking up and not being able to go harass Kidd in the living room. There was no logical reason that he should be seeing the person that he thought he had gotten far away from. It had to be a nightmare. Trafalgar had to be having a nightmare, because the idea of Doflamingo following after them was something Trafalgar didn't want to entertain.

At all.

Trafalgar looked around warily, and saw no exit to the room he was currently trapped in. There should have been a way out, but the dark haired man didn't dare take his eyes off Doflamingo, now that he had spotted him. Since he could see the other man, Trafalgar knew that Doflamingo had seen him as well, and was watching him closely from a large couch that he was sprawled in comfortably. Trafalgar couldn't explain why the older man made him more nervous than usual, but the feeling was there all the same. The dark haired man was starting to regret his own reaction toward Kidd and his violent tendencies. Maybe he wouldn't be having this dream if he had handled things differently.

"Fufufufu. What is the matter, Law? Were you expecting to wake up and see someone else?" Doflamingo chuckled as he watched the dark haired doctor press his back up against the nearest wall to eye him suspiciously. Doflamingo rested more comfortably against the couch, unconcerned with the other man's reaction, "Why are you being like that? I haven't done anything to you." The implied 'yet' hung in the air like a warning.

Trafalgar highly doubted that Doflamingo was a fool. He had to have known what he had done to him. Had to have known that he had taken his crew from him when he was 19. After that it had been an on and off struggle between the desire to avenge his crew, and the idea of staying on Doflamingo's good side so that he wasn't put in an early grave, because Trafalgar found something worth living for.

Someone worth living for.

Corazon had helped diffuse any potential trouble that may have sprung to life between the Trafalgar and Doflamingo on any given occasion when things went sour in the five years they lived together, but soon enough...

"You're thinking about the past." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. One that demanded to be answered.

Trafalgar thought that Doflamingo sounded like he wasn't quite sure which past he was talking about, and that made the dark haired man pause. Where had that come from? What other past could there be but the one? The only one that there was. The past where Doflamingo took his crew from him, and then thought it would be no problem to take Corazon years later for a reason Trafalgar thought he knew, and leave him with nothing but empty promises for the next two years. Trafalgar looked around the room futilely for an escape route, before he focused on Doflamingo as he spoke, his eyes narrowing, "I am not. I am merely thinking that I should have killed you when we first met. When I had the chance to stop you."

Doflamingo frowned at that, before he rose from where he was seated. He began to stalk toward the dark haired man, a terrible grin spreading across his lips as he came nearer, "You're a fool, Law. And a bad liar. It's a pity that memory loss hasn't done anything to curb either of those things." Doflamingo lunged forward and trapped Trafalgar against the wall, "And hanging onto that past is so very boring, especially when dealing with you." Doflamingo leaned in over Trafalgar so that he could breathe against his neck, "I'm also offended that you care about my brother more than me. It makes me jealous." Long fingers gripped Trafalgar's upper arms tightly to pin the dark haired man further, "And that doesn't make me happy."

Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut as Doflamingo kissed his cheek, a low chuckle slipping out as the older man pressed closer. A nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. Kidd wouldn't let Doflamingo into the house.

Wouldn't let this man do this to him if he were around to prevent it.

"Don't think, Law. I want you to pay attention to me." The hands tightened to the point of being painful as Doflamingo let go with one hand to grip Trafalgar's chin and tilt his head up, "I want you to pay attention to me. And only me."

The dark haired man reluctantly opened his eyes to glare at the tinted sunglasses and wide grin, "Fuck you. The only attention you will receive is a sword through your heart."

Doflamingo's grin stretched at that, "Such a bad boy. Leave the foreplay for bed."

Trafalgar flushed angrily and kicked Doflamingo's nearest leg, "Leave me alone!" The dark haired man winced as Doflamingo let go of his throat and leaned in to nip the side of his neck in warning.

"Careful, Law. You don't want to end up like my little brother, do you?"

That was it. The casual way Doflamingo had said that infuriated Trafalgar enough that he was able to shake himself free slightly and bite Doflamingo harshly on the forearm to make him let go of his arm. It had obviously not been something Doflamingo expected, as the older man instantly let go of him. Trafalgar didn't get far before he was picked up and flung through the air, where he landed on the couch where the breath was driven out of him on contact. Before Trafalgar could recover, Doflamingo was over him and caging him against the couch.

"Apparently you still don't get it. What a shame, that you don't know the truth."

Trafalgar didn't get a chance to wonder what Doflamingo was talking about as the older man had just leaned in further and kissed him. Trafalgar writhed, torn between fighting and or just taking it, if it would get Doflamingo to let go of him and leave him be.

Throughout the exhchange, with each touch or caress, Trafalgar remained as silent as possible. It seemed like a never ending nightmare by the time Doflamingo was through with him, and the smirk before Trafalgar lost consciousness let the dark haired man know that this wasn't the last time he'd be seeing the older man.

-x-

When he woke up, Trafalgar felt sick.

Sick to his stomach that he could feel Doflamingo's touch even though he was now awake and not anywhere near the man. Trafalgar silently went downstairs and into the living room. He watched Kidd's chest rise and fall in sleep, before he pulled the knives out of the redhead's metal limb. He left Kidd sleeping as he pulled on some clothes that were laying about, before he slipped out into the crisp, early morning ar.

He needed to move.

He needed to try and forget the nightmare.

Trafalgar shut the front door behind him ad began to walk. He couldn't tell Kidd about this. The redhead had tried so hard to keep him away from Doflamingo by bringing him here. There was no need to trouble him with nightmares.

As Trafalgar passed an alley, he didn't realize that a lone figure was watching him with a sorrowful air, as if the person were sorry that they couldn't do anything to stop Doflamingo from invading his dreams.

-x-

The man in the shadows watched Trafalgar stumble away, and shook his head, knowing what had caused the reaction in an instant.

The man turned and headed for the house Kidd was still sleeping in. Or rather, resting, since the dead had no need for sleep. The man stopped in front of Kidd and Trafalgar's house. He was going to try and find a way to stop Doflamingo from invading the younger one's dreams. Other than trying to make it more difficult, he knew that he couldn't completely stop Doflamingo, no matter what. The man wanted Trafalgar to enjoy what he couldn't when he had been alive, but...

Doflamingo wouldn't stop trying, and he most certainly wasn't going to make things easy if he could enter the land of the dead so easily.

A change in tactics might be needed if that continued to be true.


	50. Uncertainty

Kidd woke up with a flinch of pain. That wasn't all out of the norm, Kidd supposed, since Trafalgar did enjoy causing it to him. The source of the pain that Kidd felt, he realized, was from where his metal limb attached to his skin on his left arm. The one that Trafalgar had stabbed with knives the night before. Kidd's eyes slit open reluctantly as he side glanced at what was currently troubling him, and frowned at the holes in the metal limb left behind by the knives that were no longer there. Right. He and Trafalgar had gotten on each other's nerves last night, and it had set them both off. Kidd say up slowly, right hand going to the artificial limb, testing it for mobility. The limb twitched, but other than that, it did nothing more than hang limp at his side.

Annoying.

The redhead let out a soft huff of irritation as he fiddled with the metal limb, until he managed to detach it from what was left of his left arm. Kidd rose, his balance slightly thrown off as he tucked the contraption under his good arm and carried it upstairs into a tiny room off the side of the bedroom. Kidd dropped the damaged metal arm onto a table there, but decided he just wasn't in the mood to fix it right now. And it had to be fixed, from the looks of it, with all of the holes in the metal and its gears that allowed it to function as an arm.

Kidd drifted back downstairs and stifled a yawn as he began to search for his lover, who'd apparently come to him sometime before he'd awakened to remove the knives that he had stuck in his metal arm. Kidd was only the tiniest bit surprised that Trafalgar was nowhere to be found, before he figured that he had gone to work, even if it had been his day off. Kidd shook his head. Not that there wouldn't be work for him to do, but it was still a bit offensive that Trafalgar was avoiding the problem and not talking to him about it. The redhead sat down on the couch in the living room and stretched out on it. Well, really, both of them ought to talk to one another, before this became a common occurrence.

Not that Kidd didn't like Trafalgar feisty and playing hard to get. Kidd loved that, and loved it even more when his lover knew he was doing it, and gave that irritatingly sexy smirk that let Kidd know that.

Kidd shook his head and closed his eyes. Whatever. Trafalgar would be back sooner or later, and Kidd was perfectly content to wait. And think about all the things he and his lover could do when he returned.

-x-

Trafalgar thought that he had escaped the last remnants of the nightmare that had had Doflamingo in it, but then again...

"I won't take no for an answer, Law." That terrifyingly wide smile was sharp, and too close for comfort, even from many feet away, "Besides, you body has always been more honest than your words. I thought you knew that by now."

Trafalgar glared at Doflamingo as he backed away toward one of the stairwells of the hospital. If he were falling asleep at the hospital and having another nightmare with Doflamingo in it, perhaps he should have stayed at home with Kidd and sorted out their issues from the previous night. He was obviously exhausted if he had almost immediately dropped off after only having three patients that day. The dark haired man put the thought to the back of his mind as he reached backward for the door, "Anything you may think is wrong. I am not responsible for my body's reactions to you."

"Or you just like what I do to you when I touch you." Doflamingo's grin stretched to the point that it looked painful. "I do like it when you play hard to get, but as I have said before, this denial of yours is getting boring."

"Sorry to disappoint." Trafalgar snipped, "But you'll just have to content yourself with not getting what you want." Trafalgar gripped the door and fell backwards through the open door as Doflamingo lunged forward. It was rather satisfying to slam to door in the older man's face, but it was only temporary. Trafalgar heard Doflamingo laugh, and it was an almost carefree sound, as if Doflamingo found what the dark haired man was doing quite amusing. Trafalgar grit his teeth, before making a quick decision. He ran down the stairs, desperately tying to remember which floor had the room without a window, so that he could bolt it shut until Doflamingo gave up.

The door slamming above him seconds later and the heavy footsteps that accompanied it made the dark haired doctor run faster, desperate to escape. Trafalgar was conflicted about Doflamingo to begin with, though it mainly boiled down to two reactions Trafalgar had when he caught sight of the other man. The vicious urge to kill Doflamingo over and over, and the desperate desire to have the older man's touch, despite the lingering feelings of guilt and anger over what had happened between them.

Trafalgar made it to the door that led to the main floor of the hospital when Doflamingo jumped down the stairwell, forgoing the stairs to land directly behind him. Trafalgar heard a chuckle and just barely ducked out of the older's man's reach, and went down the last few stairs to the basement of the hospital.

Doflamingo could be heard laughing again, but Trafalgar, quite frankly, had no desire to directly confront him. Not yet, anyway.

"Where are you going, Law?" Doflamingo's tone was light, almost playful, "Fufufufu. I'm not done with you."

Trafalgar reached the basement door open and attempted to lock Doflamingo out, when the older man plowed into him, hands gripping him tightly as he pinned him up against the nearest wall. Trafalgar immediately braced his hands against Doflamingo's chest, shoving hard at the other man. "Leave me alone!" He highly doubted that anything he said would be taken to heart, but he wasn't going to stop. Anything to try and get Doflamingo to stop from his current intentions. It was obvious what he wanted right now, and Trafalgar was worried that he would lose the will to say no if Doflamingo began to touch him. "Let go of me!"

Doflamingo's hands tightened, and after hearing a pained gasp, he leaned over and breathed into Trafalgar's nearest ear, "No. Now be a good boy and stop running from me."

Trafalgar shivered as Doflamingo began to mouth along the side of his neck, and his breath hitched when the older man bit down lightly. It was wrong. It felt good, but at the same time it was wrong. Wrong for him to even think about enjoying this. Trafalgar thought that he had made it clear to Doflamingo that this was not what he wanted, when he had left him two years ago. Had broken off sexual relations even longer ago than that, and did not think about doing it again after Doflamingo had done something else irreversible. First the older man had taken his crew from him, all those years ago, and then Corazon years after that, when all Doflamingo's brother had ever done was be nice to him. Had had his best interests in mind, when...

Trafalgar felt his resistance crumbling, his head tilting back unconsciously as Doflamingo's hands trailed down his sides lightly and rested at his hips, the touch gentle. It made the dark haired man bit his lip, because he knew he would be unable to escape. Unable to tell Doflamingo no, no matter how much he wanted to. He hated it, and hated Doflamingo. "Stop..." Trafalgar managed to say, and it was what he wanted. For Doflamingo to stop, and leave him alone, but he just knew that the other man had him cornered. Doflamingo had no intention of letting him leave until he was through with him, as he had stated earlier. "Please...stop."

Doflamingo didn't listen to him.

Just like he hadn't last night.

Only this time Trafalgar he wasn't waking up, and that was what upset him the most. That he couldn't escape Doflamingo even in his dreams.

-x-

Doflamingo loved the pleading tone in Trafalgar's voice. It was rare to ever hear such a thing, and it made him want the other man even more than he already had. And yet...Doflamingo frowned ever so slightly as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Trafalgar's pants. It irritated him that he had to ignore Law in favor of trying to reach through to this Law, but he figured that this would be worth it in the end. If nothing else, he was going to make it clear to Trafalgar that he was never going to be ready to let go and leave him in peace. Doflamingo didn't like to lose what he thought was his, so he was not going to give in so easily. Doflamingo's lips curved back into a smile. So, he would just have to show Trafalgar that he was serious, like he had tried to convey when the other man had been possessing Law. Not that Trafalgar remembered that right now, but it was only a matter of time before Trafalgar regained his memory.

Doflamingo leaned up against Trafalgar a little more heavily, when he noticed that the other man was trying to discreetly wiggle away. Doflamingo nibbled along the side of Trafalgar's neck, amused at the tiny, helpless sounds that emitted from the other man, even though he was obviously trying to hold it in. Well, that wouldn't last for long once Doflamingo was through with him. He'd get him to give in and then he'd hear him all right. "I think we're going to have to find a better suited place than this. Especially if you're going to move so much." Doflamingo bit down on the side of Law's neck lightly.

"Fuck you." Trafalgar hissed, trying and failing to shove Doflamingo away again.

Doflamingo merely continued to tease the side of the dark haired man's neck as he tugged Trafalgar's pants down. He was rewarded with an involuntary buck, that made him want to get things moving along. Doflamingo chuckled, " Fufufufu. I'm getting to that." Another laugh rose from the blond haired man as he felt Trafalgar try to shove him away once more, though with less force this time around. Doflamingo would end that futile resistance now, and he did so by reaching around and gripping the younger man's member in one long hand. Doflamingo trailed the fingers of his hand along lightly, contemplatively. Doflamingo smiled at the shiver that ran throughout Trafalgar's entire frame as he wrapped his free arm around his back, holding the dark haired doctor close as he murmured, "See? Stop trying to lie to me. It really is getting old."

"Not...lying." Trafalgar managed to respond, eyes barely open at this point as he let out an involuntary moan as Doflamingo applied a little pressure at his response.

Doflamingo ran his hand along a few more times lightly as he watched Trafalgar bite his lip, before he his hand drop, which made the other man give a shaky sigh of half relief and half disapproval. Doflamingo smiled at the sound, and at Trafalgar's continued denial and lies. And lies they were with the way the dark haired man was reacting to him. Even if it was reluctance on his part, it was obvious that Trafalgar wasn't going to put up much of a fight for much longer. With relative ease, Doflamingo scooped Trafalgar up and held him against his chest as he began to walk along into the darkened room. When it felt like the other man was about to protest, again, Doflamingo leaned over and captured Trafalgar's lips in a demanding kiss. Doflamingo liked the faint resistance that still lingered as he licked the other man's lips, before he nipped lightly into the kiss, which drew a gasp. With a smile, Doflamingo took the provided opportunity to deepen the kiss as he glanced around, looking for a suitable place to land and continue.

An open office looked a good a place as any.

The older man grinned as he broke the kiss after he entered the office, and settled on the ground as he pinned the dark haired man on the ground. Doflamingo pressed up against Trafalgar's back lightly as he kissed the nape of his neck, before whispering, "Are you done protesting?"

"Never." Trafalgar said darkly as he propped himself up on his arms, but was unable to drag himself away from Doflamingo.

"Too bad. I guess I'll just have to make you admit your foolishness another way." Doflamingo figured that he was done talking now, and began to inch Trafalgar's shirt up so that he could toy with the tanned skin beneath. Doflamingo brought one hand up to cup Trafalgar's jaw to tilt to the side to bring him in for another kiss, and this time, the dark haired man didn't seem to be as resistant as before. He even tentatively joined in on the kiss, much to the older man's amusement. Doflamingo smiled into the kiss again as his other hand roamed Trafalgar's chest, before it dropped down and wrapped loosely around the other's member again, drawing a faint twitch of surprise. "You like this, don't you?" Doflamingo shifted slightly and removed his own pants, so that he could press up against Trafalgar's back, and let him know just how much his continued resistance was arousing him. From the little squirm Trafalgar made in response to the sensation, Doflamingo knew that the dark haired man knew that he was only just starting.

Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut, though Doflamingo couldn't see that from where he was. Instead, he let go of Trafalgar's chin, and moved his other hand back down along to trail down Trafalgar's chest. "You're getting pretty hard, Law. I thought you wanted to kill me? Or have you changed your mind already?" Doflamingo grinned as he received only a low, frustrated groan in response, as well as a jerky shift of his hips. Doflamingo ran his hand along more heavily. Good. It made it easier for him to continue on when Trafalgar was feeling so conflicted.

Doflamingo used his free hand to dip down along Trafalgar's lower back, before he dipped down lower as his other hand began to move faster along Trafalgar's cock. Doflamingo tested with one finger, which drew a choked sound of protest, and the older man moved the hand away to reach into a pocket. It figured that Trafalgar would need lube, seeing as the other man was still very reluctant to be anywhere near him at this point. But not attempting to run, which Doflamingo would take as a small victory. Fingers slick, Doflamingo dipped them back down, and drew a whine, though it was not as loud a protest as the previous one. Doflamingo traced his lips along the back of Trafalgar's neck to the side of it, before biting down gently. He could tell that the dark haired man was close, so he left Trafalgar's member alone despite the tiny sound of discomfort that it caused.

Doflamingo chuckled darkly as he bit the earrings on Trafalgar's nearest ear as he muttered, "What was that? I thought you didn't want this?" He twisted his fingers lightly, which drew a squirm and small cry of surprise.

Trafalgar held still for a moment, before he ended up letting out a frustrated moan. With obvious reluctance, Trafalgar shoved his hips backward as much as he could against Doflamingo's fingers, growling something inaudible under his breath.

Doflamingo worked Trafalgar open a little more, before he figured that the other man was ready for him. The older man removed his fingers, before reaching for the lube again. He was harder than he had been before, and wanted nothing more than to thrust inside as quickly as possible to get Trafalgar begging for more like he thought he wouldn't do. And begging was something Doflamingo felt he wanted to hear, if only to make Trafalgar further conflicted. To question himself. And Doflamingo wanted to see that begging, so he flipped Trafalgar over onto his back. Doflamingo gently pushed aside either of Trafalgar's legs and pressed up against him as he leaned over Trafalgar. Doflamingo smiled as he felt Trafalgar hesitate before he clung, and muttered, "Do you want me to put it in?"

Trafalgar held on tightly, and managed a shaky breath of, "Damn you."

Doflamingo grinned at the self loathing tone as he pressed up against the other man. "What was that? I couldn't hear you?" Doflamingo buried himself with a sharp thrust, taking Trafalgar's breath away as he leaned in to kiss his throat, where the pulse was rapid, "Do you want me to fuck you?"

Trafalgar took a shuddering breath, before he spoke, voice quiet, and all but defeated, "Just move."

Doflamingo grinned and did just that. He moved with even more force when Trafalgar gripped him tightly and spoke again.

"Faster."

The shame and desire mixed together in Trafalgar's voice was a wonderful thing to hear, and it made Doflamingo not be as careful as he normally would have attempted to be. Because he wanted Trafalgar to feel him. To think only about him. To finally admit that he was being a fool for keeping a grudge against him all of these years.

It was just too bad that Doflamingo couldn't actually keep Trafalgar in the dream for as long as he'd have liked. The time together was short each time he did this, but Doflamingo just knew that each time it would eat away at Trafalgar. And perhaps get him to finally stop being so stubborn.

And Doflamingo felt no guilt, because the older man wanted Trafalgar. And what Doflamingo wanted, he would get, whether Trafalgar was dead or alive. He was not going to let Trafalgar walk away without a fight.

-x-

Trafalgar had squeezed his eyes shut, as if this would prevent him from feeling Doflamingo tearing down his resistance like it was nothing with each thrust. The dark haired doctor was mildly confused when, after Doflamingo was finished, that he had let out some growl of confusion intermixed with annoyance. The older man's touch left him, and for that, Trafalgar was grateful. What happened next, however, only served to further confuse him when he bothered to half open his eyes. Trafalgar blinked. He was moving through the hospital, but not under his own power.

The dark haired doctor realized that someone was carrying him was a care that most people he knew wouldn't bother with, before he heard a voice speak softly, "Law."

Trafalgar's eyes closed again, not wanting to look at who was carrying him, for whatever reason. He should have wanted to know, however, because from the strong limbs that held him, it was not Kidd. The voice didn't match. And besides, the redhead had an artificial limb. Not two flesh ones, like he had before Trafalgar had decided to take it for whatever foolish reason he had had back then. Sometimes, Trafalgar missed Kidd having both of his arms, but at the same time, the dark haired man liked that the redhead had learned to adjust to the metallic arm.

"Law?"

Trafalgar heard what appeared to be concern in the man's voice. It was odd. It sounded so familiar, but it was as if he hadn't heard the voice in a very long time. Trafalgar felt the arms hold him more securely as he was carried along, the concern in the other's voice growing.

"Are you all right?"

He couldn't answer, but he was. Or at least, he felt he was. Sore, even if it was just leftover from his nightmare. Trafalgar held perfectly still when one of the arms moved, a hand carefully tracing his collarbone. Trafalgar flinched faintly at the light touch, and the hand quickly withdrew, along with a softly spoken curse.

"It appears that he isn't going to make this very easy. Though I knew he isn't one to give in quickly."

Trafalgar was too weary to really care what the man was talking about, even though he was fairly sure that it was about Doflamingo. The older man was rather bound and determined to get something from him.

-x-

Kidd was worried.

He didn't want to admit that he was, but it didn't matter what he wanted to feel or not. He felt it all the same. That Trafalgar managed to make him concerned at all was something that always bothered him, but right now...

Trafalgar had not shown, and that alone was all that Kidd needed as an excuse to think that the past was repeating itself. That he wasn't going to see Trafalgar for decades again, and that was unacceptable. Kidd had attempted to remain calm, since he knew that nothing really bad could happen, since he and Trafalgar were already dead.

Kidd glanced at the clock. It was late at night, and he couldn't take it anymore. He was going to look for Trafalgar, and would just have to deal with the other man poking fun at him for making a big deal out of what was likely to be nothing. Kidd exited the house, not bothering to lock up, because who the hell would bother breaking into a house when everyone was already dead and gone? Kidd thought that he might have to look for a long time, but for once, his lover made things easier on him by being found sooner than he thought.

Or rather, Trafalgar alerted him to his presence by speaking in a quiet voice not quite directed at him.

"Eustass-ya..."

Kidd halted and turned in the direction the dark haired man's voice had come. And furrowed his brow. Trafalgar sounded upset for some reason, but was trying to hide it. "Trafalgar?" Kidd drew closer, and could have sworn he saw someone walking away in the shadows, before he found Trafalgar. The dark haired man was leaning up against the wall of an alley in a crouch, and currently had his hands running through his hair. Kidd walked over to him, "...you okay?" When Trafalgar didn't say anything, Kidd lowered himself into a crouch as well before the dark haired man. Kidd reached out and tapped him on the knee.

Trafalgar started as he looked up, as his hands slid out of his hair and dropped onto his lap. "Eustass-ya?"

"Are you okay?" Kidd repeated, now that he had the other man's attention. The redhead wondered what was wrong. It almost looked as if the other man had been in a fight, but that couldn't have been. It was odd.

Trafalgar dropped his gaze and shook his head as he stood up, "I'm...fine. Just tired. I lost track of the time."

An obvious lie, and a terrible one at that.

Kidd decided to not push, as long as it meant that Trafalgar was going to go back to the house with him. Kidd stood up and watched the dark haired man silently. He sure as hell didn't look fine, what with the haunted look in his eyes that he obviously didn't want to admit was there. The redhead watched Trafalgar for a moment longer, before he spoke, hesitantly, "Want to go home?" Kidd stood up and started to walk, and heard Trafalgar begin to trail after him, until they were walking side by side. Kidd was left to ponder what that had all been about, but decided not to ask. It was obvious that Trafalgar didn't want to talk about it, so he wasn't about to pry.

For now, anyway.

And it wasn't because Kidd was ridiculously pleased and happy that Trafalgar had linked hands with his own for the last few minutes of the walk. Everything appeared to be fine, until they got home, and Kidd discovered that something was wrong after all.

-x-

It was late by the time that Trafalgar returned to house with Kidd, and while no words passed between them, it was agreed upon that it was time to get some rest.

Kidd felt that since he did not have his artificial limb, he didn't really need his shirt, so he shrugged out of the shirt and kicked off his pants. The boxers he would leave, for now, but he hoped that Trafalgar would be up for continuing where they left off from the night before. Kidd settled in bed and didn't have to wait long for Trafalgar to join him. And that was when the unexpected occurred.

Trafalgar settled on his own side of the bed, far away from Kidd.

That was weird, and Kidd didn't like it, but with what had happened the night before, he figured that Trafalgar wanted space. And he would give it to him, even though Kidd wanted nothing more than to touch him. With the way Trafalgar was nearly curled up beneath the sheets, Kidd refrained, if only because he could sense that something was wrong.

Yet had no idea what exactly was wrong.

-x-

A few days passed, but it seemed to Kidd that it had been longer than that. Nothing seemed to have changed except for the fact that Trafalgar still wouldn't say a word about what was bothering him. And it became more apparent as the days passed that Trafalgar  _had_  been in some kind of a fight, because Kidd could see bruises and scratches on the dark haired man's arms where his clothes didn't cover the skin. Yet Trafalgar still said nothing.

Another week went by, and Kidd was silently amazed that Trafalgar had not been in the mood for sex. Any time Kidd attempted to get him in the mood, so to speak, it had backfired on him and left him sleeping alone as Trafalgar retreated to the couch. If Kidd were more inclined to being hurt by the actions, he might have actually chosen to try and speak up about it. But Kidd wasn't exactly insulted, yet. Merely confused, because everything had been just fine until the two of them had fought with one another that one night. But that couldn't have been the reason Trafalgar wasn't letting him touch him. No matter how upset they might get with one another, Trafalgar would still want to be touched by him, if only to tease and leave him hanging.

On the tenth evening, Kidd finally couldn't stand it anymore. Traflagar had become oddly distant, and any time he tried to talk about it, his dark haired lover would claim weariness from work. And any time Kidd tried to touch him, Trafalgar would shy away, as if he didn't want to be touched.

Kidd found it to be very infuriating, and had to wonder if Trafalgar were messing around with him for his own twisted amusement.

-x-

Kidd watched Trafalgar slide into bed, and curl up on one side of the bed, and that was that. Kidd was done waiting for an explanation, for Trafalgar to tell him what the hell was bothering him so much that he was denying Kidd any physical affection, sexual or otherwise. Trafalgar wouldn't even let him kiss him, and that bothered Kidd, since he wasn't one to openly display affections unless the two of them were alone.

Kidd settled on the bed, and stared at Trafalgar's back. He would have to do this carefully, in case it set the other man off. So, instead of staying on his side of the bed as he had for over the past ten days, Kidd went beneath the sheets and inched across the mattress until he was up against his lover's back, touching him. Kidd reached out with his right hand. His artificial left limb, most unfortunately, was taking longer to fix than Kidd had first initially believed it would. "Trafalgar?" Kidd touched the dark haired man's shoulder. The reaction was immediate and nearly offensive.

Trafalgar flinched away from his touch.

Kidd blinked as he stared at Trafalgar's back, his hand, and then his lover once more. What the hell? He'd barely even touched him, and Trafalgar had acted as if he were going to hurt him.

"...Go to sleep, Eustass-ya."

Kidd heard the underlying wariness in Trafalgar's voice, which wasn't at all what he expected from the man. It was as if...Trafalgar really didn't want him to touch him...

The redhead narrowed his eyes in indignation, and threw caution to the wind. Like hell he was just going to go to sleep when Trafalgar was acting like this. He was getting an answer out of him whether the dark haired man liked it or not. Kidd moved forward and wrapped his good arm around Trafalgar's waist, and pulled him backward against his chest, kissing the side of his lover's neck as he heard him gasp. Kidd felt Trafalgar freeze up, and decided that he didn't like that, so he lay some kisses against the skin beneath his lips, and trailed his arm further up, to the dark haired man's chest, and held him firmly, to prevent escape. He could feel Trafalgar's heart beating rapidly beneath his hand, the man's breath hitching slightly. It was still so odd that they could breathe and have heartbeats when dead.

"Eustass-ya...stop..."

Kidd's eyes narrowed to slits as he inwardly seethed. Why the fuck was Trafalgar so pathetic sounding? Kidd held on more tightly when it became clear that Trafalgar was trying to slip from his grasp.

"Stop..."

Kidd ground his teeth and stubbornly held his lover closer, despite the pleading tone the other's voice had taken on. "No. I was waiting for you to tell me what the fuck is the matter, but it's been over a week." Kidd bit down on the skin, which drew a whimper, and, surprisingly enough, made Trafalgar go limp in his grasp. Kidd carefully loosened his grasp, and turned Trafalgar over onto his back, so that he could half settle over him, and more importantly, make eye contact with him.

Trafalgar was resting, stiff and warily watching Kidd, as if he expected him to do something unpleasant to him. But he wasn't trying to run anymore. Instead, it seemed as if he were almost resigned.

Kidd didn't like that one bit. He wouldn't harm his lover, not so much that he wouldn't recover, but this...Kidd didn't like how he was acting as if there wasn't anything he could do to stop Kidd from doing things to him. "Trafalgar?" Kidd carefully laid a kiss on Trafalgar's collarbone that was exposed. That Trafalgar just lay limp and turned his head did nothing to reassure him. Kidd worriedly kissed him on the lips, hoping for a response, but the dark haired man merely parted his lips to allow Kidd in, and did nothing to join in. Kidd broke the kiss, and gave Trafalgar a concerned look that he didn't normally give the other man. It was eerily familiar...like what had happened back in the warehouse, when Kidd had tried to make out with Trafalgar and found the other man pliant and almost timid. After being with Doflamingo for a month and a half in Law's body...

Kidd sucked in a breath. But...he thought that Doflamingo couldn't reach them here...could he?

-x-

Trafalgar closed his eyes and inched discreetly away from Kidd when he noticed the redhead hesitate. He hated himself for this. Hated himself for lying to Kidd, and telling him that everything was fine for over a week. Because it wasn't really fine, but none of it was Kidd's fault. The desperation and the confusion in his lover's voice hurt him, but Trafalgar couldn't do anything about it. Not yet. He wasn't ready to talk to Kidd about what had been happenng to him. Tell him about Doflamingo. Trafalgar wasn't even really sure what to make of it other than it didn't appear to be a dream, no matter how much he wanted it to be. It was just too realistic. The dark haired man felt Kidd rest his only arm over him, leaning in close, and fought down the panic welling inside of him. He knew he shouldn't act like he didn't want Kidd to touch him. Trafalgar did. Had wanted him to ever since he'd begun to have the nightmares with Doflamingo, but whenever Kidd tried to touch him, it made him think of what Doflamingo had been doing to him. He couldn't bring himself to tell Kidd that. Trafalgar wasn't sure what the other man's reaction would be, other than to think the worst.

That Trafalgar was cheating on him, when a few weeks ago they had agreed to stop seeing anyone other than each other. That they didn't need anyone else but one another.

Trafalgar shivered as Kidd breathed against the side of his neck and laid a light kiss there. A little further down and Kidd would have made him flinch. There was a nasty bite mark there, that Doflamingo had left to make a point and the dark haired man desperately hoped that Kidd wouldn't notice it in the half darkened bedroom.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Trafalgar heard the growl in Kidd's voice, and felt the semi rough way his lover began to remove his clothes. The dark haired man had begun to sleep with all of his clothes on, just to try and dissuade Kidd from sex. It had worked for a little over a week, but apparently, whatever patience Kidd had had was now gone. Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to think of some way to explain what Kidd was going to see as soon as he got the clothes off of him. He had to try and not let his lover know that he hadn't exactly been opposed to them being put there.

By Doflamingo.

Who should have been dead, and or at the very least injured and in a hospital in the city he and Kidd had left over a month, and perhaps longer, ago.

Trafalgar held perfectly still as Kidd removed the shirt, and went for his pants, and yanked those down with an efficiency that Trafalgar normally enjoyed. There weren't any boxers, as Trafalgar hadn't bothered with that this time around, because he hadn't thought that this would be happening so soon. Trafalgar shuddered and gripped the sheets as Kidd's mouth closed over him, and sucked lightly. "Eustass-ya...please..." If Kidd was going to give him a blowjob, he wasn't going to stop him. Doflamingo hadn't given him one yet. Trafalgar felt Kidd's right hand dip down beneath his thigh, fingers brushing his backside in question. "Ah." With Kidd's questing fingers, Trafalgar's pleasure broke and he whispered, "Stop."

Trafalgar heard Kidd suck his breath in a sharp intake of air, before the sheet was tossed aside. The dark haired man felt Kidd's hand leave him, and go to his member, where he was taking more. When Kidd's hand joined his mouth, Trafalgar forgot what he was protesting, and blindly thrust hid hips. He felt Kidd grumble as he moved back a bit to compensate for the dark haired man's sudden movement.

There were no words spoken as Kidd worked Trafalgar over into an orgasm, and the redhead was obviously pleased to hear Trafalgar let out a moan as he went limp.

Trafalgar felt Kidd slide up to rest next to him and nuzzle against his throat.

"I missed you."

"Eustass-ya..." Trafalgar thought that he might be able to go through with going all the way, when Kidd had to go and find out his little secret by biting down on one of the bite marks Doflamingo had left behind.

Kidd immediately pulled back at the flinch, and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the mark that couldn't possibly have been left behind by him. There hadn't been enough time for the mark to appear, meaning...Kidd tossed the sheets further aside so that he could look Trafalgar's entire body over.

Well, there was no hiding the marks any longer, Trafalgar supposed. He felt rather exposed as his lover scrutinized his body, and not in a way Trafalgar normally enjoyed. It was dead silent in the room, and the only thing Trafalgar knew was Kidd lightly tracing his fingers over bruise marks and that the redhead's fingers were shaking faintly as they moved along the skin. Kidd's voice was strangely controlled when he ventured to speak.

"Have you...been having sex with someone else?"

Trafalgar didn't like the faint sound of betrayal in the redhead's voice, "...Would you believe me if I said that...things...happen in my dreams and I wake up at work or at home, covered in the marks?" Trafalgar questioned doubtfully. He didn't think that Kidd would believe him. After all, he'd been putting off sex for some time. Kidd had to assume the worst, especially since Trafalgar hadn't wanted him to touch him. If only because it brought flashes of Doflamingo to mind. Trafalgar was therefore surprised when Kidd's good arm went around his waist, and a careful kiss placed on the nearest bite-mark that was bruised.

"Doflamingo?"

Trafalgar stilled further, though he relaxed slightly when he realized the anger in Kidd's voice was not directed at him. Trafalgar brought one of his hands to rest against the back of Kidd's as he responded softly, "Yes."

"But he's..." Kidd's voice broke off, as if thinking about something.

"Eustass-ya?"

"...It's nothing. You're right, we should go to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Trafalgar was surprised that Kidd didn't just continue and take what he obviously wanted, from the feel of him pressed up against his back. But Kidd did nothing other than hold on to him. And just like that, Trafalgar felt foolish. It was almost as if he had been allowing Doflamingo to win by avoiding Kidd for so long. By pushing him away and keeping him in the dark. Trafalgar felt Kidd fall into slumber alongside him, and was quietly confused that his lover had accepted the explanation as if it weren't strange in the least.

For Trafalgar, he knew that sleep was going to be hard to come by, because he had no idea when Doflamingo was going to visit him in his dreams again.

-x-

Kidd woke a few hours later, and, after seeing that Traflagar was still asleep, slid out of bed silently and went to stare out the window. His thoughts were troubled. He wondered how Doflamingo had been able to reach the dark haired man in his dreams. Kidd was fairly certain that Doflamingo wasn't dead, so why was the man still tormenting Trafalgar? Kidd was happy to be with the dark haired doctor, but this, Doflamingo appearing to torment Trafalgar, made it hard to enjoy his time with his lover. Even if Kidd knew that the both of them were dead, and that they were in some kind of strange afterlife.

Kidd glanced over his shoulder at Trafalgar, before looking back out the window. It was hard to keep quiet about the fact that they were dead, since Trafalgar had no recollection of the events, nor the entire time that they had been dead and what followed after that, with the possessions. Kidd was about to turn away and go back to bed when a voice stopped him. The red head felt a slight chill race up his spine as he realized that the voice belonged to Trafalgar. The other man's tone was arrogantly harsh as well as bitterly cold. He did not sound at all like he had been the past several days, tentative and unsure of himself.

"So, Eustass-ya, when were you planning to tell me that you knew we were dead?"

Kidd swiftly turned around, about to say something, anything, when he saw that Trafalgar was still fast asleep on the bed. Kidd looked around. There was no one there. Kidd went back to curl up against Trafalgar and held him close, which drew a drowsy murmur from Trafalgar, before he quieted. Kidd fell into an uneasy slumber soon after, further troubled.

What had that voice been? Was the voice that he had heard the guilt that still lingered, about only him knowing the truth?

Kidd never experienced Trafalgar's voice speaking to him again when the other man was asleep. Kidd wasn't sure what to think of that, but he dismissed it, because it was unimportant now that Trafalgar had more or less gone back to normal.

-x-

By Kidd's estimation, he and Trafalgar had been in this state, in the land of the dead, for half a year. Trafalgar was still having nightmares, but unlike before, he was not shying away from Kidd's touch anymore.

It was only one evening that Kidd realized he must have looked worried about something or another, when he heard Trafalgar speak to him.

"Is something the matter, Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar set aside the book he was reading before he sat on the bed, throwing Kidd a curious look.

Kidd shook his head in response as he leaned over to kiss Trafalgar before he settled in bed as well.

Trafalgar ran his hand through Kidd's hair absently, and couldn't help but smile as the red head leaned into it. The dark haired man's expression became dark, though it was not at his lover.

It was because he'd been remembering things over the past few months, and had all but regained the memories that he had not known that he had lost. Mainly due to Doflamingo constantly harassing him in his dreams. Trafalgar wasn't sure if Kidd remembered everything or not, so for now, he'd been playing ignorant. He'd become aware of it two months ago, when everything rushed back to him, and had thought the place the two of them were in was some kind of joke. That it couldn't possibly be real, to feel all the sensations like they were alive, when in reality, they were dead.

Trafalgar was mad at first, wondering what to do about it, as it had to be partly Marco's doing, but he had decided, in the end, that while he wasn't happy about what had happened, he was pleased that he was with Kidd, and that no one was trying to tear them apart. Other than the nightmares that the dark haired man was having with Doflamingo. Trafalgar saw a shadow of guilt pass over Kidd's face, and he frowned, before he decided to test just how much Kidd remembered, "Eustass-ya?"

"Hm?"

"I love you." The words were said with a sly smirk, and Trafalgar absolutely loved the fact that Kidd was blushing at the announcement, before the dark haired man himself was surprised as he was pinned to the bed and kissed.

"You remember now?" Kidd asked curiously. His voice was hopeful, but at the same time not altogether sure it would be a good thing. He, like some other people, knew that Trafalgar could carry a mean grudge against people if he believed they wronged him in some way.

Trafalgar knew what he was thinking. The dark haired doctor was quite capable of holding a grudge against someone should he believe that they had wronged. Trafalgar blinked, before he smirked confidently, if only to see Kidd squirm, "Yes, I do." He stared at his lover curiously, "You knew this whole time?"

"Yeah." Kidd watched Trafalgar warily, as if searching for some kind of anger at the idea that he hadn't let on that he did earlier, "What do you want to do?"

Trafalgar blinked again, before he pressed close to Kidd's chest and reached up with his hands to rest against the other's shoulders as he leaned up, "Stay here with you."

Kidd leaned his head down in return, and kissed the man beneath him as mumbled against Trafalgar's lips, pleased with the response, "Good."

Trafalgar looped his arms around the back of Kidd's neck to bring him closer. He wasn't going to leave if he could spend the rest of his time, or however much time they would get here, with Kidd. Here, where no one could tear them apart. No matter what Doflamingo was up to by continually coming to him in his dreams. Trafalgar would figure something out eventually, but for now, he wanted to pay attention to Kidd, as it was obvious that his lover was very happy to have him back, shitty past memories and all.

-x-

Outside the house, in the shadows, the man relaxed upon hearing Trafalgar's words. He felt relief with that single statement. Things had gone well after all, and it was what he had hoped for. Blue eyes studied something that wasn't before him, and sighed inwardly with whatever it was he was seeing.

It seemed that he  _would_  have to appear before Trafalgar sooner than he had anticipated, but it couldn't be helped. He would just have to hope that he didn't overwhelm Trafalgar too much with his appearance. He needed to tell the dark haired man the truth. The truth that he so desperately needed to hear, so that Trafalgar could resolve things properly with Doflamingo this time around.

Trafalgar couldn't do that with only half the story, and it would only hurt the dark haired man and Doflamingo further than the misunderstanding between them already had.

The man knew that Trafalgar needed to know that truth, because it appeared that Doflamingo wasn't ready to admit defeat yet. And that was a proven fact due to Doflamingo constantly entering Trafalgar's dreams and tormenting him.

It was unfortunately something that he couldn't stop. Only interfere with.

The man turned away. He had to cross Trafalgar's path soon, before Doflamingo did any more damage than he already had.


	51. Chance Meeting

Trafalgar felt that he and Kidd had slept in for the first time in a long while, and ever since he had come to this new city, and realized that he did not actually have to go to work, the dark haired man decided that sleeping in was a perfectly fine thing to do now. Even if they hadn't the need for sleep at all, since they were dead. Trafalgar yawned and stretched, and felt Kidd's arm subconsciously hold him closer, as if the still slumbering red head thought that he would try and leave him before waking again. However, Trafalgar really wanted a shower, because Doflamingo had again bothered him in his dreams. The dark haired man sighed and turned within Kidd's one armed embrace, and kissed his jaw lightly, "Eustass-ya...I want to get up."

Kidd, still dead to the world, mumbled something sleepily and merely held Trafalgar closer to his body. But he didn't stir into wakefulness, even when Trafalgar nipped the side of his neck because of their closer proximity.

"Eustass-ya." Trafalgar griped, as he wriggled in an attempt to free himself, "I know you aren't that much of a heavy sleeper."

No response but for another inaudible mumble.

Fine then. Trafalgar supposed he would have to do something about Kidd's inability to wake up. Trafalgar's lips curved into a wicked smile as he freed one arm and dug the hand through Kidd's hair, and gripped in in order to angle his lover's head toward him. And kissed him. Trafalgar smiled, satisfied, when Kidd muttered something in a confused way, and used that as a chance to slip in some tongue. That got a response, as the longer Trafalgar held on and kissed the redhead, the more pronounced the furrow in Kidd's forehead became, until finally, his eyes opened. Trafalgar briefly opened his eyes to meet Kidd's sleepy amber ones, before they shut again, and enjoyed the kiss even more when the other man finally realized what was going on. By the time Trafalgar released Kidd from the kiss, the redhead was grinning at him.

"What was that for?" Kidd questioned as he bumped his forehead against Trafalgar's, "Not that I'm complainin'."

"Because I could, and I wanted a shower. You were holding me too tightly." Trafalgar said in response. "I had another dream with Joker in it, and I feel a need to get clean just from the memory of it."

Kidd looked decidedly unhappy about that, since there was nothing he could do to fix it. "Bastard." Then, with obvious reluctance, he removed his arm from around the dark haired man's back, "Go take one then. But afterward, maybe we could make that dream go away?"

Trafalgar saw the smile, and nearly rolled his eyes as he reached out and shoved Kidd in the shoulder, causing him to drop onto the bed with a laugh, "We just woke up. Keep those thoughts for later." Trafalgar smirked as he slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom across the hall, Kidd's whining following him.

"We're dead. Who the fuck cares when we have sex? It's not like we have anywhere to be."

"If you wait until this evening, I'll let you top for the night." Trafalgar cast a glance over his shoulder, sly smirk in place, "And I'll let you do whatever you want, and I won't complain." He heard Kidd make an interested sound, but didn't look back to see what effect his words had had on Kidd. He knew the redhead was sure to be pleased, because there were some things that Trafalgar didn't particularly like that Kidd liked during sex, and the dark haired man was willing to compromise as long as he was able to do things similarly in return. And since they were dead, there would be no permanent damage, and the illusion of danger would be there.

However, one shower and several unimportant errands later, and Trafalgar was rethinking what he had said that morning to Kidd. And it was all because of something that he had thought he had seen while doing those errands. Two things that put his mind far from sex, and back into his past, and what else he hadn't told Kidd.

Trafalgar entered the house later in the evening, and knew that Kidd was likely to jump him, so he had to find a way to delay things before it got too heated, and he was forced to participate only to not really enjoy himself due to things weighing on his mind. Trafalgar closed the door, and looked around anxiously. He had to tell Kidd about Corazon, because he could have sworn that he had seen the other man in the city today, along with a few people from his crew. He had taken a second look, and hadn't seen them again, but he didn't feel like he was hallucinating. Kidd didn't jump him as he thought he might, so Trafalgar checked both the living room and the kitchen, before he headed upstairs. He figured that Kidd would be in bed, perhaps, waiting for him. Most regrettably, Trafalgar felt he was going to dampen Kidd's more than likely good mood.

The dark haired man paused just outside the open master bedroom, and spoke softly, "Eustass-ya. I think I saw some of my crew in the city today...and Corazon." And just like that, Trafalgar sunk to the ground as he thought about the implications again. He had lost all of them, and yet here he was, dead, and seeing things. But maybe...just maybe, he could talk to those people, now that he was dead? At that thought, Trafalgar didn't think that he could, or that he wasn't worthy to see any of them. He had failed to save his crew. Surely they would hate him for saving his own skin and not trying to save theirs, when he might have able to have? And Corazon...

Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut. No, he definitely couldn't see Corazon. He hadn't been able to do anything to save him, and it wrenched at him that Doflamingo had killed his own brother. And almost right in front of him, at that. And had Corazon lived, he would have been upset that Trafalgar had tried to drown himself to get away from Doflamingo, only to be inadvertently saved by Kidd and his crew.

"Trafalgar?"

He wanted to see them. He wanted them to know that he hadn't had a choice when Doflamingo found him. Any chance to save his crew had been thwarted by the older man's arrival. Trafalgar should have done something, instead of just standing and watching his ship burn. Done something before Doflamingo landed that fatal blow to Corazon after a rather nasty, public fight.

"Law!"

Trafalgar gasped as two hands fell onto his shoulders, and he looked up sharply, relaxing only when he saw that it was Kidd. Kidd, who was kneeling In front of him in wearing nothing, which was something Trafalgar normally appreciated. He hated that he was about to ruin Kidd's obvious plans for that night, but the dark haired man couldn't help it. He was lost in the past with what he had thought he had seen on his way back to the house.

Kidd, seeing that Traflagar was now paying attention, spoke calmly, "You said you saw them?" At the nod, Kidd added, "Did you try to talk to them?"

The dark haired doctor shook his head, "No. I didn't." He looked away, "And I don't think I can face them. Not my crew. Not Corazon."

Kidd frowned and did what came to mind, even if he would later deny that he had done it at all. He drew Trafalgar into a tight hug, "I guess I can see why you don't wanna talk to your crew, even if you couldn't have done anything but get yourself killed...but why not this Corazon guy? You didn't kill him or anything."

"I may as well have. It was me that led Doflamingo to kill him."

Kidd frowned, "He killed his own brother?"

Trafalgar nodded against Kidd's chest, and wrapped both around the redhead in return to be held more solidly, "I overheard an argument. It was stupid, really, but by the time that it ended up turning into a fight, there was a crowd gathered. I didn't see most of it, but when I got close enough, it was almost over anyway. I could tell that Corazon...wasn't exactly trying. He was holding his own, but Doflamingo...he wasn't holding back, even against his own brother." Trafalgar hadn't realized tha he had fallen silent until Kidd prompted him quietly.

"Trafalgar?"

"The worst part was that Corazon didn't look angry that it had come to him and Doflamingo fighting one another. He almost looked sad."

"What happened?"

Trafalgar could tell that Kidd didn't expect him to answer it, so he did. He needed to get it out, only if to stop it from getting under his skin and depressing him whenever he thought of Corazon. He should have been happy with the five years he'd been able to spend with him, instead of focusing on the negative experience. The dark haired man sighed against Kidd's chest. "Doflamingo struck him down and Corazon stayed down. He would have died from his wounds, but Doflamingo..." Trafalgar shook his head, "Doflamingo went over to him and kneeled down. I think he was talking to him, for some reason or another. I have no idea if Corazon was still conscious enough to respond or not, and even if he was, I have no idea what he would have said. And then...Doflamingo pulled back a bit...as if to turn away." Trafalgar grit his teeth at the memory, "And then he shot him. Through the heart."

The dark haired man said no more, couldn't say anymore, and merely allowed Kidd to continue to hold him tightly. He would have never told the redhead that he had needed it, because otherwise, he was liable to fall apart and breakdown completely. However, within Kidd's arms, Trafalgar was reassured, and it made him wonder if he could face Corazon, if only to properly tell him good bye. He wondered if the dead in this place stayed, or only until they had accomplished some goal. A thought suddenly occurred, something that Trafalgar had been thinking about lately, even before he had thought he had spotted Corazon that day. "Kidd?"

"Hm?" If the change of names was a surprise, the redhead did not let it show in his non verbal response.

"I thought I felt...Corazon's presence before today. And even before we came here. Back when we were possessing our doppelgangers' bodies. And more so after what had happened in that warehouse. And maybe...he was the one that brought us here? There was certainly something guiding us along."

Kidd said nothing other than to hold the dark haired man closer.

"You think I'm imagining things?"

"...No." Kidd hedged, "Do you want to go to bed?"

Trafalgar held still for a moment, before he glanced down and spotted that bed was far from Kidd's mind. The dark haired man couldn't help but smile, "I fell a little better...so maybe we could have a little fun, and continue it in a few days. I'm afraid I won't be as able to enjoy whatever you had planned." Trafalgar gasped into a kiss as Kidd smiled a little.

"Even a bit will be fun."

Trafalgar allowed Kidd to scoop him up and carry him to their room. Even if his mind were still in the past, the dark haired man felt better for finally telling Kidd a little more about Corazon, even if it had been glossed over. He had left out the conversation that had gone down, and the eerily absent laughs from Doflamingo.

-x-

Neither Trafalgar Kidd noticed the passage of time, but they found that they were apt to notice any changes to where they resided in the land of the dead. Especially the more frequent spotting of Corazon and some of Trafalgar's former crew. Even Kidd had spotted some of his crewmates, namely Killer, though neither Kidd nor Trafalgar had felt the need to really approach anyone else other than one another. For different reasons.

And many weeks after that, something different happened that Trafalgar was finally forced to acknowledge. To confront someone he had been delaying in approaching.

-x-

Trafalgar woke that morning, and felt that there was something different about it. He said nothing to Kidd as they went about their day, until the two were in their living room, and happened to glance out at the same time out the window that showed a sidewalk. And both noted a figure in the distance that was walking across the street from their home.

The dark haired man arrowed his eyes as he spoke aloud to Kidd with a jerk of his head to indicate the figure, "Doflamingo?" He glanced at Kidd with a smirk, "Want to go...welcome him?" Trafalgar was pleased when Kidd smiled readily enough in return. It was enough that it got Trafalgar out of the couch and out the door with Kidd following along in his wake.

The two men followed the figure that they had spotted, and Trafalgar walked closer to Kidd as they closed in. From this distance, the figure certainly resembled Doflamingo, and it wouldn't surprise Trafalgar in the least if Doflamingo were able to follow him into the land of the dead to torment him, and not just keep it confined to dreams. Trafalgar palmed a sharp scalpel while Kidd no doubt had a dagger or knife.

They would have their revenge, even in death, and the older man would pay for as long as Trafalgar saw fit. As long as it took to get his point across to him.

For Kidd.

For Corazon.

Trafalgar's thoughts of revenge came to a screeching halt as soon as he realized that the figure had stopped walking and had turned around to face them. Trafalgar staggered against Kidd, and used one hand to hold himself up as he recognized what he couldn't before. The man that stood before them wasn't Doflamingo.

It was Corazon.

And although he was wearing a smile reminiscent of Doflamingo's, Corazon's smile was more playfully amused than anything, and the expression made it clear that he had known who Trafalgar had thought he was.

"Cora...zon?" Trafalgar questioned, not willing to quite believe it yet, though he remembered that night in the hospital, when someone was carrying him. That voice...it had been Corazon's. Maybe he had known it, but his subconscious had not allowed him to really latch on to that fact. Not at the time.

Kidd exchanged glances with the man that stood before them, and after a moment, spoke, "You guys wanna go talk at the house?"

Trafalgar merely nodded his head several times as though he still couldn't believe that Corazon was there, even if he had been seeing him on and off in the city for some time. With a final look at the silent stranger, Kidd turned and guided a compliant Trafalgar back to the house, Corazon following them after a moment's hesitation.

Kidd felt that Trafalgar had a lot of explaining to do, but there was a lot of time for that.

An untold amount.

And besides, Trafalgar was the one who really needed to talk to Corazon, from what the dark haired man had bothered to tell Kidd.

-x-

As soon as they returned to the house, and were all seated in the living room, was when Trafalgar seemed to realize where and who he was with. And immediately focused on Corazon as though Kidd wasn't there, "Why did you never try speaking to me, when I had been possessing that other me?"

A hint of a smile crossed Corazon's face as he took of his glasses and perched them on his head to give Trafalgar a fond smile that reached his eyes, "Still straight to the point as always, Law." With a laugh, Corazon waved off Traflagar's response, "I'll tell you, don't worry. But first..." He slid a glance in Kidd's way, before refocusing his attention on Trafalgar, "I feel that I need to set things straight regarding what happened between myself and Doflamingo."

Despite Traflagar's obvious relief to see Corazon, that was something he didn't want, "He killed you. What else could there possibly be to know about that?"

"Listen to me Law." Corazon's voice had taken on an oddly serious tone, "I need to tell you because you have it worng. Yes, Doflamingo killed me. I won't deny that, especially since you happened to see us. And I'm sorry that you had to see it in the first place, however..." Corazon locked eyes with the dark haired doctor, "It was staged. The whole thing, for reasons I'm not exactly ready to give. But the plan was for one of us to die, and it had to be believable. You know that Doflamingo will forgive anyone in the family, even a serious offense, but...due to some unforeseen circumstances, we both agreed that we needed to do something to prevent an attack on all of us. And you in particular, Law."

Corazon could tell that Trafalgar was frozen in place, and quickly finished, before the other man thought to interrupt him, "It was difficult for both of us, believe it or not, Law. No mater how much we fought with one another, Doflamingo and I never any intention of killing one another. However, when pushed..." Corazon shrugged, not quite sure how to put it, "It is possible to overcome familial connections. I gave Doflamingo a big one when he landed me on the ground in our fight. I have to admit that I didn't want to say it, and still regret saying it, even now...but there were a lot of lives riding on the outcome of our fight. I just didn't know that he was going to shoot me, but I suppose it served its purpose in the end..."

"Stop!"

Corazon did, though he could tell by the way Trafalgar was shaking that he wasn't taking this information well. Which put a serious halt in his plan to tell Trafalgar the rest of the truth. If this was how he was handling his death, Corazon wasn't sure he could bring himself to say more right now. "Law?"

The fact that Trafalgar all but threw himself from his chair at Corazon was something neither Corazon himself nor Kidd foresaw.


	52. Evasive

Kidd barely had any time to react to Trafalgar's sudden lunge out of the chair that he had been seated on. The redhead knew that Trafalgar was not given to fits of sudden anger very often, so he had been momentarily taken aback. But only for a second, which gave Kidd ample time to prevent his lover from leaping at Corazon. The redhead's arms wrapped around Trafalgar from behind in a tight grip, and Kidd promptly sat back down on his own chair, taking the dark haired man with him. Kidd let his arms rest heavier about Trafalgar's middle to prevent him from freeing himself and trying to jump at Corazon again. Kidd figured, from what little Trafalgar had told him of his past, that shaking, beating, or whatever it was that he wanted to do to Corazon, would not make the dark haired doctor feel any better.

Kidd ignored Trafalgar as he tried to free himself, instead looking over the man's shoulder at Corazon, "Say whatever else you want. If Trafalgar still wants to kick your ass afterward, I'll let him." Kidd grinned as he rested his chin on his lover's shoulder, "And I'll help him."

Corazon wore an almost smile at the thinly veiled threat, before he merely dipped his head in a nod. "Very well. I don't know how much you knew beforehand, Law, but Doflamingo and I became aware of a threat against us months before we ended up fighting to the death with one another."

Kidd felt that that, more than what Corazon had said before, made Trafalgar calm, however marginally. Once he knew that he wouldn't have to try very hard to keep the dark haired man in place, he considered what Corazon had just said. It seemed odd to Kidd that anyone would threaten either Doflamingo or the man before him. It seemed like a stupid idea, really, as it seemed like both Donquixote brothers were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Kidd felt Trafalgar trail a few fingertips along his right arm. Kidd wondered what was going through the other man's head, but when Trafalgar didn't speak, Kidd did, "Why the hell would anyone bother threatening you or Doflamingo? It seems kinda suicidal, if you're anything like that son of a bitch."

Corazon's lips quirked into a wry smile at that, "I am not as forward as Doflamingo is when it comes to confronting an enemy."

"If you knew that there was a threat, why didn't you tell anyone else? Why did the two of you keep it to yourselves?" Trafalgar still sounded doubtful about what he was being told. "Unless the two of you didn't think it was worth the time to investigate  _because_  someone would have to be a fool to try anything."

"At first, we didn't think much of it. You're right." Corazon gave the younger man a fond smile, "After all, who would dare try and attack us, knowing our strength, and how many people we had under our protection...and control." Corazon looked away, smile fading away into one of regret, "Looking back, we should have known better than to dismiss the threats, especially after they became more numerous in number and nastier in nature." Corazon looked at Trafalgar, who, while still angry, appeared to be intrigued. Corazon smiled briefly again, before he grew serious once more, "Do you...remember the time that someone kidnapped you? When you and I and a few other members of our family went out to drink? Did I ever tell you that Doflamingo and I thought it was a random kidnapping by someone who didn't know who they were dealing with?"

Kidd blinked at that. He'd never been aware of anything like that, and Trafalgar had certainly not owned up to that. The very idea was almost laughable, because the redhead couldn't picture Trafalgar as being that careless. However...if what Corazon said was true, then someone had been able to get past the dark haired man's defenses. Kidd felt Trafalgar tense up ever so slightly, his voice making it obvious that he remembered the incident, and remembered it well.

"Yes...I remember that. It wasn't a particularly pleasant memory, those few days that those people held me captive. I never did see who they were. I was unconscious for most of it. I think they kept me drugged so that I wouldn't put up a fight." Trafalgar slid his hand into Kidd's right hand and held on tightly, "I never heard them sneak up on me. I never thought I had to worry about such a thing." Trafalgar ran a thumb over the back of Kidd's hand, his voice dark, "They made sure to blindfold me even before knocking me unconscious to kidnap me. They never spoke throughout it all. They merely backed me into a corner and made sure to get me out of sight before anyone could see what had happened."

"It wouldn't have mattered if they had spoken." Corazon commented, "You wouldn't have known any of them."

Trafalgar was silent for a moment, "Did you or Doflamingo know what had happened to me? Or did you only find out when my kidnappers contacted you? I assumed that they had to have."

"We didn't, at first, but when you failed to come home the next day, Doflamingo and I started to wonder if perhaps we hadn't given those threats as much thought as we should have. We had a good idea of who it was, and we had never perceived them as a threat before. As soon as it became clear that you hadn't been spotted anywhere, and the rest of the family had no idea where you were...Doflamingo was furious, and I was worried. The fact that these people chose to kidnap you rather than someone else was a curious choice on their part. You hadn't been with us for as long as the others had. Only five years." Corazon's blue gaze narrowed at something before him that was not there, "When we were contracted, two days later..." Corazon blinked, before he continued, "Doflamingo was enraged by the time we hung up. We had to agree to meet your kidnappers to barter for your return. They didn't give us much of a choice, when they threatened to kill you if we didn't show. Since we ignored their threats before, we took that one more seriously."

Kidd frowned. It did seem rather odd to kidnap someone who had been around for a shorter time. It would have been smarter for them to try and kidnap Corazon, though Kidd supposed that he wouldn't be taken down easily. Nor would Doflamingo. Trafalgar, however...he didn't appear as much of a threat as the Donquixote brothers did. A thought occurred to Kidd, and he voiced it aloud, "Would these bastards have seen Trafalgar around you or Doflamingo?"

Corazon gave a slight incline of his head, "That was what I thought prompted them to go after Law in the first place. If you see someone being favored by another of a higher position, there is obviously an interest in that person. So, there is more room for harder negotiations to get that person returned by any means necessary. Even if the impossible is asked for." Corazon shook his head, lips drawn in a thin line, "Neither I nor Doflamingo realized that we had been watched for several years without our knowledge." The older man smiled ruefully at Trafalgar, "We didn't have much choice but to agree to their terms in order to have you returned to us. When we agreed...they handed you over to us with a time limit..." Corazon looked away, "It was why Doflamingo and I were arguing with each other more than usual after you returned. Because we had that deadline to meet, and the price was steep, to keep you and the others safe."

Kidd felt as if Trafalgar were staring at Corazon, and the redhead found himself lifting his gaze to the older man. He felt Trafalgar go limp, his voice quiet, though with a faint, incredulous undertone.

"You agreed that one of you would die to get me back? That you would try and kill one another, so that these people, whoever they were, would stay away from all of us? Why the hell would you even agree to that in the first place?"

Corazon smiled at the indignation in the question, "They had us in a backed into corner. They wouldn't give you back to us until we agreed to their terms then and there. And to make sure we did go through with it, Doflamingo noticed that spies were sent to keep tabs on us, to make sure that we kept the timeline."

Kidd frowned, squeezing Trafalgar's hand lightly, "Why didn't you just kill them?"

Corazon looked over Trafalgar's shoulder at Kidd, the frown he wore deepening, "Doflamingo and I preferred to keep Law from meeting a messy end. They had a gun to his head, and another to his chest. I assumed that Law was unconscious by the way he was so limp and not attempting to resist at all. I almost thought he was dead, until he moved a little."

Kidd bristled at the thought of anyone holding a gun to Trafalgar's head, and subconsciously clutched the other man closer to his chest. He felt the dark haired man's hand drift to grip his wrist tightly, and Kidd was honestly startled to hear a choked tone to Trafalgar's voice.

"You idiot...you should have just let them kill me. You could have solved all your problems of the threats by killing everyone that was there, couldn't you? Doflamingo would probably have killed them all himself, if he was serious about it. Then the two of you never would have had to fight each other."

"And you would have been dead as a result." Corazon reminded the dark haired man calmly, "And like it or not, Doflamingo was quite adamant about doing anything to prevent that from happening, even if it meant that he would have to face me and see which one of us was better, to protect everyone. And I agreed with him, and you know that we didn't always see eye to eye on things."

Trafalgar gripped Kidd's wrist tighter, "Idiot...both of you were idiots...why would you even bother...when I was never really a part of your..." Trafalgar cut himself off, and took a shuddering breath, as if trying to control himself. "Idiot..."

Kidd felt something wet hit his arm, and was startled to realize that Trafalgar was crying. Shit. Kidd really didn't know how to handle the other man when he did this. He hated to see Trafalgar vulnerable when he was normally so confident and sarcastic and smirking like he knew something no one else did. Kidd figured that at least this time around the tears made some sense. Trafalgar had obviously been out of the loop for far more than he had anticipated regarding his own past. Kidd lifted his gaze to Corazon's, and they exchanged a silent look, before the redhead loosened his grasp on Trafalgar. It didn't seem like the dark haired man had the will or any reason to attack Corazon anymore.

Trafalgar slid off of Kidd's lap, where he ended up on the ground on his hands and knees, staring at the ground silently. As if there was something there that would tell him how to process what he had just been told.

Corazon hesitated for a moment, before he got up off of the couch and lowered himself to the ground. He was concerned that he may have said a bit too much, and was further concerned when heard Trafalgar muttering something incoherently under his breath. Corazon hoped he had broken the dark haired man by telling him something that was different than what he had believed for so many years, "Law?"

Trafalgar merely shook his head in response, as if he didn't even have the words anymore to express himself. Trafalgar reached up to seize Corazon around the neck, and, mumbling something, tugged him down into a hug, in a poor attempt to hide the fact from Kidd and Corazon that he was crying.

Corazon returned the hug awkwardly after the surprise in the action had worn off, though he was amused to hear Trafalgar still calling him an idiot occasionally between his unintelligible mumbles. Corazon briefly glanced up at Kidd, and in a way that let the redhead know that he had no ulterior motives other than returning the hug that Trafalgar was giving him.

Trafalgar quieted after another minute, before he seemed to realize where he was and what he was doing. Trafalgar pulled away from Corazon after he dropped his arms. The dark haired man rose to his feet silently, and without a word, headed for the stairs. He didn't look back as he went up the stairs, nor when he shut himself in the bedroom.

Kidd started to get to his feet, but one of Corazon's hands reached out and gently pushed him back. Kidd narrowed his eyes at Corazon, as if daring him to touch him again.

Corazon sat back down on the couch, unperturbed. "Let him be alone for a little while. He needs time to think about what I just told him. It must have contradicted whatever he had thought he had known for years. Anyone would be shocked." Corazon gave an exasperated sigh, "And it doesn't seem as though Doflamingo bothered to clear up any misconceptions that Law had had, when he could have."

Kidd reluctantly settled back down on his chair, though he couldn't help but look up the stairs in the direction that Trafalgar had gone.

-x-

Trafalgar was reeling.

He couldn't believe what he had just heard from Corazon. He didn't want to believe it, but as it was Corazon...the older man had never lied to him, or had a reason to do sol. And if what he had said was true...then Trafalgar was being...had been...too hard on Doflamingo. It didn't excuse the other man for what he had done, but Trafalgar knew that he wouldn't have been as hostile if he had known that Doflamingo had had no choice in the matter when it came to what he had to do to Corazon.

With a heavy sigh, Trafalgar ended up falling asleep on the bed. He knew he shouldn't have, because soon, he realized that there was a warm body next to his. A warm, clothless body that was pressed up against him. As soon as he felt that arm circle around his waist, Trafalgar's eyes snapped open, dread rising in the back of his mind as he realized what had happened.

Shit.

He had fallen asleep, and Doflamingo must have been waiting for him to do so.

"Law."

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's arm slide up from his waist to his chest, the large hand trailing lightly along his skin. It was odd, however...Trafalgar felt that Doflamingo almost sounded desperate this time around. How strange, to hear that from the other man. Trafalgar reached up and gripped Doflamingo's arm, halting its progress across his skin. "Stop that." Trafalgar gasped as Doflamingo shook his arm free and settled over him as he trapped him against the bed.

"But you don't want me to, do you?" Doflamingo reached down and palmed Trafalgar's crotch through his pants. Doflamingo tilted his head and grinned, "Your body is telling me differently. You are a bad liar."

Trafalgar twisted in an attempt to dislodge Doflamingo, but it only encouraged the older man to rest more heavily over him. Trafalgar bit his lip as Doflamingo made short work of his belt and dipped his hand down into the now open pants. "What my body wants...is irrelevant. What  _does_  matter is that I want you to stop this already. You can't change my mind about anything, no matter how hard you try."

Doflamingo grinned nastily as he leaned in and nipped the side of Trafalgar's neck as he let his other hand trail lazily along the other's member, "Don't be like that. Is something bothering you? You seem a bit worked up about something."

"It's nothing that concerns you." Trafalgar managed to say, even if it wasn't exactly true. The dark haired man let out a breathless gasp as Doflamingo used his other hand to yank the pants down the rest of the way and tossed them aside.

Doflamingo scowled as he mouthed his way down to Trafalgar's collarbone, "Hm...stubborn. Fine. We'll talk later." At that, Doflamingo went completely silent, and the only sounds in the darkened room were Trafalgar's gasps and moans as the older blond began feeling him up. Doflamingo slid down and licked his way along Trafalgar's chest to his stomach, fingers trailing suggestively as he grinned against the tanned, heaving skin, "You really are such a stubborn bastard. But I do like that your body responds anyway. Really, when are you going to start being honest with yourself?"

"When you stop...being so damn delusional." Trafalgar muttered breathlessly, wincing as his words earned him a sharp bite against his side, and a tight squeeze to another part of his body. Trafalgar bucked against the sensation, even as he squeezed his eyes shut. Before Trafalgar could even think to protest, Doflamingo had already located some lotion, and Trafalgar knew that there was not much he could do to stop Doflamingo now. Just like the last dream.

Trafalgar shivered as Doflamingo's fingers moved, questing, and not too long after, felt Doflamingo as he started to push, at the same time biting down on the side of his neck. Trafalgar grimaced, though more so when he realized that Doflamingo had thrust in at the same time he had bitten him. His eyes still shut, the dark haired doctor let out a shuddering breath as he tried to relax his body, "This doesn't...change anything..."

"What will?"

The question was unexpected, and the next thrust caused Trafalgar to cry out, before he realized that Doflamingo was leaning over him and being almost...gentle with him this time around.

Doflamingo spoke again, sex seeming to leave him mind momentarily as he continued to speak, since he had seen that that had obviously gotten Trafalgar's attention. "I don't want to let you go."

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo's breath tickle the side of his neck as the blond continued to speak.

"I want to...try and make things right. Like I told you, back when you were possessing the other Law's body. I meant it when I said it back then."

Trafalgar gripped Dofalmingo's shoulders, though it was mainly to prevent himself from moving. He didn't want Doflamingo to think that he was enjoying being screwed into the bed. And having him talk like this was...unsettling to Trafalgar, so he tried to make up for the confusion and unease he felt by returning Doflamigo's question with a cold response of his own, "There is nothing you can do to make things right."

Doflamingo was quiet for a moment before a bitter tone emerged, "Is it because of my brother?"

Trafalgar gave a minute nod, even as his body shook slightly from Doflamingo being so close. The dark haired man almost wanted to tell the older man to finish fucking him before striking up a conversation, but refrained from doing so. He didn't want the other man to take him up on it. "And it is also because of my crew. The ones that you killed in the port before you came across me the first day we met." Trafalgar felt the smile against his skin, though there was no laughter accompanying the gesture.

"I  _thought_  that you had to have been with them. Your appearance wouldn't have made sense otherwise, since I had never seen you before in the city."

Trafalgar was very confused now. He had been sure that Doflamingo would have been quite happy to gloat about killing people dear to him. Instead, the dark haired man felt Doflamingo speak against his skin again.

"Even so...I still want to try and make things right."

"You can't. You can't bring back my crew...or Corazon. I don't care if it happened in the past. It doesn't hide the fact that it did happen." Trafalgar was not sure if he wanted to tell Doflamingo just yet that he had talked to Corazon. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction that would bring.

Doflamingo held still for a moment, before he growled something and thrust sharply. It didn't make the older man feel any better that it made Trafalgar cry out as he started to move again, voice harsh, "I can't let you leave. I thought that I could let you go after all these years, but after being with you again for that month and a half...when you possessed the other Law's body...I found that I couldn't stand the thought of losing you again." Doflamingo nipped Trafalgar's nearest ear, teeth clinking against the earrings. "I have to have you back."

Trafalgar wanted to wake up as he kept his eyes shut, as if it would help him not hear the other man's words. It seemed as though Doflamingo wanted him to stop lying to himself, but Trafalgar knew that he couldn't. It was Doflamingo who was lying to himself, and had been ever since Trafalgar had first died. And continued to deny what was before him.

Kidd was the reason Trafalgar had no desire to return to Doflamingo. That, and the resentment that Trafalgar still held against him for all of these years that prevented the dark haired man from giving into Doflamingo's words.

Trafalgar did feel the tiniest bit guilty that the reason Doflamingo didn't want to lose him was likely because he was thinking about what he had done, and lost, to save the dark haired doctor in the past when he had been kidnapped.

-x-

Corazon looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing, "Damn...I thought he was going to leave him alone for a few nights." It was his mistake. He should have anticipated Doflamingo visiting Trafalgar in his dreams again. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon again.

"What are you talking about?" Kidd demanded.

"Doflamingo. He's pulled Law into another dream." Corazon responded distractedly as he glanced up the stairs in the direction of the bedroom. Why hadn't he sensed Doflamingo's presence sooner? Why hadn't he noticed Trafalgar's confusion earlier? Was he really so disconnected between the two realms that he was having trouble keeping track of what was happening in both?

Kidd didn't say a word as he got up and raced up the stairs.

Corazon furrowed his brow. He didn't know what Doflamingo was trying to accomplish. There was no way to bring Trafalgar back to the land of the living now that he was where he was. So why was he doing it? Corazon spoke softly, as if Doflamingo would be able to hear him, "How far are you willing to go, brother?" It was a troubling thought, just how far the other man could chose to go, and Corazon was not entirely comfortable thinking about it. Dreams were the one place that he could not go.

Corazon glanced up at the second floor silently. He could only wait and hope that things would turn out for the best for everyone involved.


	53. Eternal

Trafalgar woke abruptly, breathing in harsh gasps of air as his heart beat rapidly. He was disoriented, and confused. Something was wrong, but the dark haired man had no idea what. Just that something was not as it should be. Blinking blearily, Trafalgar saw a face peering down at him, wearing an out of character expression of concern.

Doflamingo.

Doflamingo being concerned about anything was very strange. Let alone being worried about a single person. And that made Trafalgar stare, befuddled. What was going on? And for that matter, what had happened to get the older man to act in such a way? There was still something wrong that Trafalgar couldn't quite put his finger on, but that could always be figured out later, after he found out why Doflamingo was looking at him the way he was. Trafalgar thought he had just fallen asleep. There wasn't anything odd about that.

Trafalgar's obvious confusion prompted Doflamingo to be the first to speak, "Fufufufu. I guess that drug Caesar developed was too strong."

"Caesar?" The dark haired man was really put off now. He didn't recall seeing that creep of a scientist lately, but perhaps he was wrong. It could explain why he felt so oddly out of sorts, not being able to clearly remember much of anything right now.

Doflamingo shook his head, as if noticing the younger man's continued bafflement, "I didn't realize that it had been slipped in with the medicine without my knowledge. Are you all right?"

Trafalgar was still struggling through life and death experiences that he had just been through. Or had he? The fighting, the running, the...Trafalgar frowned. There was something else, like another person he should be remembering. Someone important. But it wasn't Doflamingo. The dark haired man wasn't sure who. His mind was hazy, and it left him unhappy and confused. Not to mention he had woken up on a bed, and Doflamingo had just now slipped onto the same bed to hold him in a crushing hug, "What happened before?" Trafalgar wriggled within the larger man's grasp, "And why the hell are you being so clingy? It...it isn't like you." It wasn't, and the wrong feeling Trafalgar had returned stronger than before.

Doflamingo quietly held Trafalgar, inwardly disliking the fact that he could not trap the dark haired man's mind in Law's body. And Doflamingo knew that there wasn't much he could do to keep Trafalgar trapped in the dream right now for very long. It was frustrating, that he was running out of options. Doflamingo closed his eyes, his brow furrowing. What was that? He could hear...and sense something, from the land of the living where his sleeping body was...

Doflamingo's eyes snapped open in shock. Shit. He hadn't been paying close enough attention.

"Doflamingo?"

Doflamingo felt a crawling sensation of something approaching the house where his body was.

"What is it?"

Doflamingo ground his teeth in frustration, barely hearing Trafalgar's queries. No. Dammit. How the hell had that man found him so quickly?

"Hey!"

Doflamingo heard Trafalgar's voice fading as he woke himself up to deal with his new trouble in the land of the living. It just figured that something had shown up to interrupt him. Again. Doflamingo opened his eyes, and held himself perfectly still when he caught sight of just who was standing in the bedroom with him.

Marco and Hawkins.

Funny, he hadn't expected to see them so soon. At least not for several years. How aggravating. Doflamingo chuckled as he sat up slowly, keeping a careful eye out for movement from either of the intruders. He did nothing but grin, as he really had nothing to say to them. Doflamingo did, however, wonder how in the hell they had been able to find him so quickly. Not that it really mattered, he supposed. They were here now, so how they got there was really irrelevant now. When it was clear that neither man was going to speak to him, Doflamingo did, and used a harsh, dangerous tone as he carelessly sprawled on the bed with his back against the nearest wall, "Fufufufu. How in the world did you find this place? I thought it was well hidden." And it had been. No one else had ever come across it in the past when he had had to come and lie low for a time.

"It is well hidden, but Ace saw you leaving the city and followed. Then he called us to come meet him."

Interesting. Doflamingo didn't know that brat could be fast enough to keep up with him. Now that Marco mentioned it, Doflamingo had thought he sensed a presence, but had dismissed it because it had kept its distance. His mistake. The older man knew that he would have to remember that for the future, in case anyone else thought it clever to try and tail him. Doflamingo frowned a bit. Damn. This meant he would have to find a new place for a hideout.

Marco carefully kept his eyes on Doflamingo, but his next question was directed to Hawkins, "Is Law all right?"

Hawkins had knelt down next to the slumbering dark haired man on the ground, "He is fine. Just sleeping for the moment." Hawkins half turned to face Doflamingo, "He has done something to him, but since we interrupted him, Law should be all right."

Doflamingo turned his head to stare at Hawkins. He had not recalled doing anything to Law while he had been sleeping and harassing Trafalgar. Had he really affected Law when he had interacted with Trafalgar in the dreams? Doflamingo's head turned sharply at movement and barely had enough time to dodge away from Marco's blue flames. Doflamingo grinned. That was fast. He hadn't expected a fight so soon, "Fool. Your flames can temporarily slow me down, but it won't do any permanent damage." Doflamingo landed back on the bed, his grin wider, "You're wasting your time!"

"Marco, move."

Doflamingo frowned at Hawkins' words, but he grit his teeth as he saw Marco move out of the way and the long haired bastard throwing something through the air at him. Doflamingo started to move out of the way, but was unable to avoid Hawkins' spell card from striking him and the older man cursed as he realized that the damn spell was sapping his strength and energy. Doflamingo made a swift decision then and there. He knew that no harm would come to Law, and since he did not want to end up in prison for a few decades, he decided to retreat, as loathe as he was to do it. Doflamingo knew that the he would cross paths again with Marco at some point, but right now, with Hawkins around, the older man knew he was at a disadvantage. He would be hard pressed to defeat either of them if he wasn't up to full strength.

Doflamingo grinned patronizingly at the two men before him, "You know that I won't stop. I don't see why you still bother." With that, Doflamingo threw himself backwards and crashed through the window. He stumbled upright, merely gritting his teeth as he was clipped by Marco's flames. It gave him an irritating tingle, but other than that, it did no damage. Doflamingo's grin stretched as he ran into the surrounding forest. It seemed that he would have to lie low for much longer than he had originally intended to. Marco, it seemed, was more serious about trying to corner and stop him more than he had in previous years. Doflamingo hummed to himself as he ran. If nothing else, it was different, and that was something he needed as of late.

Having the same thing happen over and over grew dull as the years passed. Something new, however little, was far more welcome than Doflamingo would have ever thought possible. He knew he would have completely scoffed at the very idea a long time ago, but now...

Doflamingo slowed, and grinned as a thought occurred to him. He still had some time left to do something about Trafalgar.

-x-

Marco turned away from the window to kneel next to Law, before he glanced over at Hawkins, who was studying the broken window, "Will that spell of yours have long-term effects on Doflamingo?"

Hawkins gave a faint shrug without turning away from the window, "It depends on if you can find him before the spell wears off. It should slow him down, but not for long."

"Then it isn't much use going after him right now, is what you are saying."

"Correct. Your time would be better used to find a way to make sure that Law is not arrested for what the one who possessed him did while in control of his body."

Marco glanced back down at Law, "I suppose you are right. I wonder if Pops could help..."

Law turned over in his sleep and mumbled something.

"In any case, let's get him out of here." Marco commented as he lifted Law up and draped one of his arms over his shoulder, "...Will Doflamingo come after him again?"

Hawkins sorted through a few cards, apparently consulting them, "No...he won't. But in the future...that is not set in stone...there are too many variations to say for sure."

Marco half carried Law toward the bedroom door, "Then it is going to start again?" The short haired blond was not encouraged by Hawkins' response.

"For the time being, it is an endless cycle. Some have broken free, but for others, it is still unending. It is hard to say when it will end."

-x-

Trafalgar felt lost, until he felt someone touch his arm. It drew him out of the haze he had been in. The dark haired man opened his eyes slowly, and stared up at Kidd, who was leaning over him and wearing a rather upset expression. "Eustass-ya...what?" What was wrong? What had happened to make the redhead so upset? He had just laid down to take a rest. After all, Trafalgar had needed to think over what Corazon had said...

Kidd helped the other man sit up, "We're in a dream, Trafalgar. That son of a bitch dragged me into it when I was trying to wake you up."

A dream...? Trafalgar blinked. Did that mean whatever had happened between falling asleep and waking up in a dream now mean that...? "Are you saying...that Doflamingo brought us both into a dream?" That didn't make any sense, but since Doflamingo had been doing it to him for awhile now...

"That's right, I did, and you aren't leaving until I am through with the both of you."

Doflamingo's voice woke Trafalgar up the rest of the way, and even if it was just a dream, everything became clear. Trafalgar remembered everything. The dark haired man held out an arm to prevent Kidd from starting toward Doflamingo when the older man began to stroll toward them. Trafalgar narrowed his eyes, "What did you do? Why couldn't I remember anything?"

Doflamingo grinned, if a little ruefully, "I guess you remember already then?" He stopped a few feet away. "That's a shame. Here I was hoping that I had finally gotten through to you."

"Yes, I remember." Trafalgar said calmly. "And you didn't answer my question. What did you do to me?"

Doflamingo flexed a hand, wearing a disinterested expression as he shifted from one foot to another, "Since it didn't work as well as I thought it would, I don't feel the need to explain it to you."

"Leave Trafalgar the fuck alone." Kidd growled dangerously as he started to shove Trafalgar's outstretched hand out of the way.

Doflamingo grinned mockingly at Kidd, "Why should I? The sex is quite nice. It's too bad he hasn't grown weary of you yet. It would make my life a lot easier."

Kidd bristled as he increased his efforts to get past Trafalgar and to Doflamingo as he seethed at the older man, "You son of a bitch!"

Trafalgar gripped Kidd's nearest arm, "Stop, Eustass-ya." He glanced up at the redhead, "Remember what we heard earlier?" From Corazon was left unsaid, because Trafalgar felt that he did not have to let Doflamingo know. "Besides, we're stuck until Doflamingo-ya lets us leave." And Trafalgar knew just what would let the older man let them leave. It was a gamble, but if nothing else, it would not be what Doflamingo would have expected from him.

The dark haired man's words toned down Kidd's anger, though he still appeared to be unhappy to find out that Doflamingo had been having sex with Trafalgar in his dreams. Even if he had had a sneaking suspicion that had been confirmed by Trafalgar shying from his touch. It didn't change the fact that it upset him that Doflamingo dared to touch his lover in the first place when Trafalgar was clearly not interested in him in that way any longer.

Doflamingo had obviously been prepared for a fight, so it was understandable that he was taken aback when Trafalgar walked right up to him. His expression was clear. He was taken aback, and from the frown that crossed his lips, was expecting a trick of some kind. Therefore, Doflamingo had not been at all prepared to hear what came from Trafalgar as he came to a halt before him.

Trafalgar took a deep breath, before he briefly glanced up at the older man, and spoke simply, "I'm sorry."

Both Kidd and Doflamingo looked completely surprised at the dark haired man's words.

Trafalgar avoided meeting Doflamingo's shaded gaze as he continued, and brought up what he thought he wouldn't. He felt he needed to tell the truth, if only to try and get Doflamingo to let him be, "I spoke to Corazon. He told me what had happened. I was wrong about why it had happened. I'm sorry...I never tried to talk to you about it...before I left." Trafalgar looked away. He hated that he had been wrong, and didn't want to think about how it made the other man feel, when he had been the one who had been mistaken the whole time. "You were only trying to protect me and the others." Trafalgar hesitated for a moment, before he stepped closer and reached up to tug Doflamingo's arm until the other leaned over. Trafalgar hesitated once more now that Doflamingo's face was closer, the older man now wearing a perplexed expression. The dark haired man shook his head minutely before he leaned up on his toes to leave a brief kiss on Doflamingo's cheek, before speaking softly, "I already made my choice a long time ago." Trafalgar turned away and walked back over to Kidd. The dark haired man wrapped an arm around the redhead's right arm, and held on tightly as he glanced back at Doflamingo, "You already knew that I could have never stayed with you and the others, even if I had known the truth. It doesn't change anything between us. What happened in the past still happened, no matter the reasons behind it."

Doflamingo was silent as he brushed his fingertips lightly along the cheek Trafalgar had kissed, before he let his hand dropped to his side and smiled bitterly. Doflamingo turned away after giving a nod, which was Kidd and Trafalgar's signal that they could leave. The older man did look over his shoulder to watch them go, before he closed his eyes. When Doflamingo opened them, he was awake, and lying in the middle of the forest he had run in to. The only consolation was that Marco and Hawkins were nowhere in sight. But that was unimportant right now, as something else bothered him right now. What Trafalgar had said...he had said that he had talked to Corazon...

Doflamingo stared up at the trees and the dark night sky that he could make from between the leaves. If that were true, then...why?

Why had Corazon never come to speak to him?

The older man let out a sigh. Not that his brother ever said anything to him in the first place, unless he felt strongly enough about something or another that he deemed it necessary to use his voice to give his opinion.

Doflamingo sighed. He supposed that, after what he had done to his brother, it wasn't all that surprising, even if what he had done  _had_  been necessary, and both he and his brother had known it. Doflamingo covered his eyes with the back of one hand, and laughed. The only thing he wanted was to ask Corazon if he had meant what he had said, right before he had shot him, all those long years ago. But it didn't matter right now. The answer wouldn't change what had happened in the dream he had just left.

Trafalgar was out of his reach for good. The dark haired man had made that perfectly clear to him.

Alone.

Doflamingo was going to be alone again.

That's what it was always going to come back to, especially now. Doflamingo didn't even know why it surprised him anymore.

He was going to always be alone, no matter how many people he gathered around him, and it was almost entirely his own fault. He had made a choice after Corazon's death all those long years ago. Had made a deal out of desperation.

It had been a foolish choice, and the deal he had made was one that he never should have agreed upon in the first place.

-x-

Trafalgar woke up again, but this time, he knew where he was. He was with Kidd, in the house that they found in the land of the dead.

"You okay?" Kidd was on his side as he faced the other man.

"Yes." Traflagar responded automatically. He smirked at the sight of Kidd trying and failing to not look concerned, and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. The faint blush was worth it, and Trafalgar let out a soft laugh as he got up off the bed and headed out of the room and down the stairs. He knew that Kidd would follow him.

As Trafalgar entered the living room, it hit him. Doflamingo was going to leave him alone now. It was weird to think that the older man would actually do so, but from what Trafalgar had seen, it appeared to be so. With a sigh of relief, the dark haired man sunk down onto the couch, and Kidd joined him soon after. Trafalgar felt satisfied that he had gotten through to Doflamingo as he rested against Kidd. Trafalgar heard Corazon moving in the next room over, and felt that things were finally right. He couldn't help but smile as it sounded like Corazon had fallen off his chair, if the thump and faint curse was anything to go by. Trafalgar made himself comfortable as he called over in the direction of the kitchen, "Are you all right?"

There was a brief silence before a grunt of agreement rose from the man in the kitchen.

Trafalgar shook his head in amusement. He liked that some things didn't change. Right now, the dark haired doctor was pleased that he didn't have to worry aobut being dragged away from this place. To be taken away from Kidd or Corazon. Trafalgar almost felt at peace as he silently linked hands with Kidd. The dark haired man decided then and there that he would stay with the two, for as long as they were able to stay in this weird reality. Trafalgar closed his eyes and smiled a little as Kidd leaned in closer to nuzzle his cheek against the side of his head, and knew that the redhead was content to stay as they were for awhile. Trafalgar didn't realize that Corazon had left the kitchen to stand just inside the living room to check on them. The dark haired man also did not see that the taller man was giving both Trafalgar and Kidd a saddened, yet happy, look.

Corazon turned away, and went back to the kitchen, where he tripped on his way to the chair. It didn't overly bother him as he settled onto the chair after getting back up. Instead, he stared out the nearby window, as if waiting for something to happen. What it was remained a mystery, as he kept it to himself.

One hundred and fifty years later...

The land of the living...

A dark shadow moved from building to building. Sometimes it paused, as if checking to see if something were following it. Sometimes it took a higher route by jumping from building from building, as if this would make whatever the figure believed might be pursuing them to lose sight of them. The only thing that never changed was the person's large frame and never ending grin. As if the man knew something and wasn't going to bother sharing it with the rest of the world.

The quiet figure passed over a streetlight, revealing a pink, feathery coat draped over their shoulder. The figure's grin revealed itself in the light, and the man laughed, as if there was some unseen audience watching him. Perhaps there was, but the man didn't give any other indication of the idea as he continued to soar along.

The man, Doflamingo, turned and leapt down from a building, and kicked off the side of two other buildings to get himself to the ground unscathed. He was in the city outskirts of a place that he had not been to in well over three hundred years. At least, Doflamingo thought that was the correct amount of time. He could have been mistaken since he had been around for so long. Time was harder to keep track of when it began to mean nothing.

Doflamingo walked leisurely around a lake in the dead of night, alone and deep in thought. He had a lot of time to do that. Countless time, as he had come to that realization long ago. The decades that had gone by and the fact that he did not physically age were testament to that.

It was one hundred and fifty years since he had last seen Trafalgar in his dreams. And here Doflamingo was, waiting again. Trafalgar was still in his mind even after all of these years, but since there was no hope of reaching out to him anymore...

Movement caught his eye, and Doflamingo left those thoughts behind as he gracefully jumped up onto a bridge that spanned the lake, and crouched down in the shadows to look down with a grin. Below, he could see two people as they walked along the sidewalk below the bridge. They were likely on their way home. Doflamingo's grin stretched. It seemed that this time around, Law's reincarnation was interested in a military man. One who was smoking away at two cigars and speaking stiffly, even as Law laughed and said something in return.

"Come on, Smoker-ya. There's no one around to see us." Law's voice had a playful lilt to it, as if he expected the other man to protest, and he was obviously not disappointed when the white haired man did.

Smoker puffed away at his cigars some more, but grudgingly looked over at Law as he gave his response, "Just because there is no one around doesn't mean we can't wait until we get back home."

Doflamingo could all but imagine the gleam in Law's eyes as the dark haired man's lips stretched into a smirk.

"What, are you embarrassed? You certainly didn't seem that way last night. Did you think that I did not enjoy it as much as I did?" Law ducked Smoker's hand, smile still in place, "Well?"

Smoker looked away, a faint blush rising on his cheeks as he grumbled irritably,"I do not need our relationship getting out right now."

Law leaned up against Smoker, sneakily trailing one hand down to tap the other's nearest hand, "For you to get your promotion? I wouldn't worry about it. They have been practically falling down around you to try and get you to accept it. And you said you would be stationed elsewhere, once you get that promotion." Law glanced up at Smoker, "Am I going to come with you when you move?"

Smoker mumbled something that Doflamingo couldn't make out, but it obviously amused Law more than he already was.

"That's what's got you worried Smoker-ya?"

Doflamingo felt a pang of jealously as he watched the two, especially when Law leaned up against the paler haired man more heavily, and Smoker, in turn, sighed in exasperation and reluctantly linked hands, much to Law's continued amusement. Doflamingo watched them as they resumed walking along and speaking in low tones, until they were in the distance. Doflamingo's grin faded ever so slightly. It wouldn't be hard for him to get this Law into his business in the city he had moved to, but he looked to be well in his 30s, so this time around, it wasn't worth the time or the effort on the older man's part to even try. There could be issues, especially with the fact that Law had been awfully close to the smoking military man, just from that little bit of conversation he had overheard. Doflamingo turned away as he hopped down from the bridge to the sidewalk alongside it, and headed in the opposite direction for his own home in the city. Maybe another time, when he found an incarnation of Law that would be more open to his advances.

After all, Doflamingo literally had all the time in the world.

Doflamingo chuckled to himself, entertained by the thought, though it was mainly from the fact that he had told Trafalgar that he'd only been in possession of this body of his for twenty years. It was actually much closer to hundreds of years. Possibly more. Doflamingo had lost track after a time, since it no longer seemed to matter after so much time had already gone by. It was true that he could never leave the body, however. Doflamingo had not lied about that. What he hadn't mentioned was that he didn't age. Doflamingo was stuck in his body at the same age, ever since the time that he had made a deal. The one he had foolishly made after Corazon's death, because he didn't want Trafalgar to leave him as well. But he had left anyway, soon after Doflamingo had made the deal, and had gone to Kidd.

Doflamingo was quiet as he walked along, and wondered if he would ever get any relief, or if he was cursed to be this way forever. Cursed to see Law or Trafalgar, depending on how many years had gone by. To continually have Trafalgar reject him, no matter how hard he tried to change. No matter what Doflamingo did, Trafalgar seemed to never be in the mood for forgiveness, or to try and talk things through. The issue of Corazon only came up occasionally, and it hurt Doflamingo to make people see a younger version of himself harm his brother, especially now that he knew that Trafalgar would see it.

There would always be consequences. There would always be something to hinder Doflamingo's attempt, which would then force him to live life after life in new cities all over the world.

It was lonely, and Doflamingo was getting tired of it all.

He nearly lost all hope, until after another hundred years passed. It was then that he noticed something out of place.

Something that was different in the never-ending cycle that he had become trapped in.

That small change made all the loneliness and hurt and constant wandering seem closer to an end. Even if he would soon forget about it, Doflamingo knew that there was a change coming.

He knew that change was happening, and after such a long time, the older man welcomed it, whatever it happened to be.

Good or bad, Doflamingo was ready for something to break the cycle that he had found himself ensnared in.

One year later...

The change was subtle, but finally, Doflamingo knew for sure that it was there. The older man drew closer to the scene that had caught his attention. A house. Most of it was familiar, even though he hadn't seen it for a hundred years after spotting Law with Smoker that one night. The Law that Doflamingo now saw was standing outside, along with Crocodile, and there was someone in the window watching them from the second story of the house. Someone that looked...nearly invisible.

Kidd.

Doflamingo blinked, his grin fading into a thin frown. He was confused. Hadn't this already occurred, all that time ago? Though, he had relieved this particular life before more than once. The one that had happened soon after he had killed his own brother but he had thought, with Trafalgar firmly in the land of the dead, that this particular life would no longer play out...what did it mean?

Doflamingo studied the scene from afar. Nothing was right about what he was seeing. This was not when he would normally start with this particular incarnation. He should have met Law sooner, when he was much younger. What was going on? The older man looked away. It didn't really matter, now that he had come across Law, but...Doflamingo was never ready to deal with this particular life. The idea that he would come across Trafalgar again, whether it was really him or not. That Doflamingo knew he would have to try and decide whether to try and gain his favor this time around, or crush him, before he could be hurt again by Trafalgar's misconceptions...

All because Trafalgar had seen him kill Corazon, and had not known what had prompted it.

Doflamingo froze in place as someone stepped up to stand alongside. The older man started, in shock. He hadn't even sensed anyone approaching him. Doflamingo turned swiftly in case it was an attack, raising one hand as he did, but he halted abruptly as his breath caught in his throat. Doflamingo knew who it was that was standing there, and he had no idea what to think. He had been so quiet, and blended in with the nearby trees' shade with that damn hood of his that Doflamingo almost didn't see him.

Corazon.

Doflamingo held perfectly still as he studied the other man. But...he was dead...so why...? Doflamingo thought it was impossible, what he was seeing, even though Trafalgar had said that he had spoken to him. Therefore, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Corazon could appear before him as an apparition, but why now, instead of earlier? Doflamingo took in the other man for a moment longer, for once at a loss for words. The younger man looked the same as he had the day Doflamingo had killed him, wearing a darker feathery coat that mirrored his own, and was also sporting the ridiculous lipstick that Doflamingo had decided at once to give him hell for as soon as he had seen it. In as playful a way as he could, since Doflamingo knew that Corazon had had his reasons for wearing it.

"Doflamingo."

His name was stated matter of fact, and in as quiet a tone as Doflamingo had ever heard from his younger brother. Doflamingo stared at Corazon, knowing that this was entirely different from anything he had experienced thus far. He looked at his brother, feeling as if he were in a daze. Suddenly, the same scenery around him no longer mattered. It had been so long since Doflamingo had seen the other man, or had spoken to him. "Corazon...Trafalgar said that he had talked to you from where he was...in the land of the dead."

Corazon moved in close to stand in front of his brother, and reached out a hand to rest on his shoulder. Corazon didn't wait to see if Doflamingo wanted him to or not, "I did. I finally got through to him after all these long years."

"He always thought that I… killed you without reason." Doflamingo murmured, closing his eyes. Perhaps he was dreaming. He had been alone for so long in his own mind, that it wouldn't surprise him if he were hallucinating. And Corazon speaking so much was something of an entirely different matter. But being dead should have given Corazon the ability to do so, Doflamingo supposed, if his brother really wanted to get his point across. A thought occurred to Doflamingo, and he spoke it softly, as if he didn't know if he would receive a response, "Did you mean what you said...before I shot you back then?"

Corazon had frozen in place, hand gripping Doflamingo's shoulder tightly in response. The younger Donquixote brother appeared to remember the incident, as his lips had drawn into a tight frown beneath the dark lipstick curving it into a wide smile.

_'Is this really necessary? Why don't we just kill them? I do not want to do this.'_

_Corazon opens his eyes briefly to look up at Doflamingo, who was in a crouch beside him. He sounds upset, but the younger man knew that it was only a façade. He knows what Doflamingo is capable of. 'You know that...isn't a possibility. This is the only way...to ensure that everyone in the family will be safe.' Even if Corazon does not believe that all of them are worth saving._

_'I can't do it.'_

_The words are said stubbornly, and Corazon is at a loss. It sounds genuine, but then again, he is not sure if Doflamingo is merely putting on a show for their unwanted shadows. Speaking of which...Corazon's gaze drifts past his brother, and spots one of their enemies as they watch from the crowd that had gathered. It had to be this way, and there is no going back. The two of them had made this decision together, and that alone is surprising to both of them. Corazon wanted to protect everyone, including Law._

_With a heavy feeling of guilt, Corazon gazes up at his brother, and again speaks, more than he has ever said for years in this minute or two he had left with the last of his real family, 'I've always resented you, you know. For what you did. If you can't follow through to protect eveyone, then you're a coward.' Corazon sees Doflamingo as he tenses up, as if he was physically struck by the words, and not the fact that Corazon had finally deigned it necessary to speak. Corazon sees Doflamingo's hand clench around the gun in his hand. Corazon regretfully continues, as he knows that it will send Doflamingo off the deep end, 'You're no brother of mine. You're just a coward who can't protect anyone.'_

Corazon shook his head, banishing the long ago memory, "You know I didn't mean it. How could you think that? I was only trying to push you to finish the job, before our enemies decided to take us both down, and then there would be no one left to protect our family from them." Corazon changed topics abruptly, and went to the reason he had shown up, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Don't worry, it won't be forever." Corazon held on to Doflamingo's shoulder more tightly, "You've been doing better each time. I hope I'll see you again sooner this time."

Before Doflamingo could question his younger brother about his words, Doflamingo suddenly felt faint, and swayed in place. He felt Corazon hold him up as he whispered something to him, but Doflamingo couldn't hear it.

What the hell?

As soon as the dizzy feeling had left him, Doflamingo found himself alone, and confused. What was he doing, just standing there like a fool? The older man caught sight of Law, Crocodile, and Kidd's ghost, and wondered if Trafalgar was going to be around. Maybe he'd be able to get to the other man's attention this time. Doflamingo moved away to start to plot how he would go about things this time. What he didn't see as he walked away was the spirit of Corazon, who watched him from a distance.

Corazon watched the other man walk away, until he was out of sight. Corazon let out a soft, echoing sigh, before he faded from view. His words went unheard by Doflamingo, because he was out of earshot by the time the darker clothed man spoke.

"I'm sorry, brother, but I'll protect Law from you until you've changed for the better."

-x-

Trafalgar paused on his way up the stairs to bed, as he had noted that Corazon looked depressed from where he was lounging, half on and off of the couch in living room, "What's wrong?" The other man had been cheerful earlier in the day, or at least, not as down as he appeared now.

Corazon looked up at the concerned look fixed on him, and offered a ghost of a smile, even if Trafalgar would find it hard to tell with the fixed smiled he had drawn onto his own features, "It's… nothing." It would do him no good to make the dark haired man worry about him. He'd already put Trafalgar through that, after he'd died. Corazon let his smile widen just a fraction, showing teeth, as if the other man might be able to make out the smile from where he was, "I'm just tired."

Trafalgar smiled in return at that, "Even though we're already dead?"

Corazon playfully tossed a pillow at the dark-haired man, "Go to bed. Kidd's waiting up for you, isn't he?" Seeing the slightly harassed look, Corazon peered over his shades at Trafalgar as he added, "And don't be too loud, okay? I do still enjoy sleeping."

Trafalgar made a face, clearly not liking the fact that Corazon was teasing him, and about sex, at that. It was rather bizarre, all things considered, "I'm not the one who screams." The dark haired man offered a faint smile, "Being dead and still keeping a schedule is weird." Trafalgar lost his smile as he studied Corazon silently, "Are you really all right?"

Corazon looked away, his hood and shades masking his expression. He did not want to draw Trafalgar into his problems. "Yes...I was just thinking...about my brother."

"Oh." Trafalgar didn't ask any more, as he still didn't want to broach the topic with Corazon. He would at some point, but the dark haired man still needed some time to sort things out for himself before he was ready to hear the whole story. Trafalgar turned and continued on his way up the stairs. He hesitated again briefly, before inquiring in a soft voice, "Is he…all right?"

"He will be, in time." Corazon watched Trafalgar finish going up the stairs, and into the bedroom. Once the door had closed, Corazon stretched out onto the couch that he was on, and stared up at the ceiling in silence as he slid his glasses off and deposited them on the nearby table. Corazon managed a faint laugh as he crossed his legs, barely preventing himself from falling off the couch as he did so, and mused aloud.

"Time, huh?"

It was a word that he disliked, for obvious reasons.


	54. Black and White

Trafalgar slipped into the bedroom that he shared with Kidd, and closed the door as silently as he could, in case his red haired lover was already asleep. He hadn't spoken to Corazon for that long, so he doubted that would be the case, but still...

"Took your time, huh? What the hell is up with that guy? He's kind of weird." Kidd said as he watched Trafalgar stand before the closed door.

"And you aren't?" Trafalgar asked, as he turned from the door to face Kidd. And stared, his thoughts lost for the moment as he studied a grinning Kidd on the bed. A grinning Kidd who happened to be naked, and quiet comfortable sprawled out on the bed. Trafalgar allowed himself a smile as his eyes roved over the redhead, before he added,"Corazon has his reasons for how he acts. I'm not going to try and tell him to act differently." Trafalgar's eyes lingered on Kidd's waist, before they briefly looked lower before his gaze traveled up to eye Kidd's chest, and then higher to lock eyes with the still smiling redhead, "In any case...I guess that you are not going to go to bed right now, are you?" Given the nakedness, Trafalgar knew he already had his own answer.

Kidd snorted, knowing that the other man was playing dumb, "Obviously not." Kidd looked Trafalgar over, before he grinned toothily, "Join me?"

"You attempts to seduce me are astounding. I am unable to resist." Trafalgar deadpanned, as he walked away from the door and toward Kidd.

"Stop being an asshole and get the fuck over here already." The redhead grumbled. He was already tuned on enough as it was at the mere idea of holding Trafalgar skin to skin after such a long time. Among other things. Trafalgar delaying things was frustrating. "Don't make me go over there and get you, you son of a bitch."

Trafalgar laughed softly at Kidd's impatience, "That's better." The dark haired man pulled off his shirt slowly, one hand trailing over his skin lightly as he tossed the piece of clothing into a corner of the room with a flick of a wrist, his hands dipping down to his waist soon after. Trafalgar inwardly smirked at the hungry look that had crossed Kidd's face, and the way his amber eyes were riveted on him as he unbelted his pants and wiggled out of them with a shake of his hips. Teasing Kidd was something that Trafalgar loved to do, and he could see that the redhead was getting more frustrated and aroused with every passing second.

"Taking your damn time, huh?" Kidd asked sourly as he shifted on the bed. But his gaze remained fixed on his lover as the dark haired man slipped the pants off the rest of the way and kicked them aside, shoes and boxers soon following to be lost in the semi dark of the room. Kidd stopped short of touching himself, because he just knew, instinctively, that that was what Trafalgar was trying to get him to do. He wasn't going to be fooled that easily. Trafalgar was just looking for a way to get the better of him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Trafalgar said idly as he stretched, though he could tell that the actions he had done this far had aroused his red haired lover more than he had already been.

Kidd nearly groaned in pure agitation, but didn't bother getting up to drag the other man to bed. Fucking tease. If the skinny son of a bitch didn't get on the bed, Kidd was going to go and drag him onto it, whether Trafalgar liked it or not.

Trafalgar approached the bed and sat down on it, smiling as Kidd reached up and grabbed his arm. "Something you want to say, Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar bit back a laugh as Kidd tugged him down and laid him out flat on his back. He supposed that there was a limit to the amount of teasing he could lay out on Kidd before the other man just moved things along on his own. Trafalgar tilted his head to look up at his lover, "Well? What is it?"

Kidd loomed over the dark haired man, "You need to stop being such a fucking tease."

Trafalgar rested a hand on Kidd's right forearm as the red head settled over him, obviously eager to get things moving along, just as he had thought. Trafalgar offered a faint smile at Kidd's heated gaze, "No bondage tonight."

Kidd all but pouted at that, as if that completely ruined his plans for the night. "Doflamingo?" He asked irritably.

"Yes." Trafalgar said simply in return, "So none of that for now. Later." The dark haired doctor raised his brow as he looked Kidd in the eyes, "Is that going to be a problem?"

Kidd gave an irritable jerk of his head as he leaned in close to place a kiss against Trafalgar's throat, "No, but that bastard is ruing all of my fun."

Trafalgar gripped Kidd's upper forearm lightly, amused at the disappointment in Kidd's voice, "I could ruin your fun by sleeping in another room for the night."

"Fuck. No, you aren't. We haven't had sex for two weeks. You aren't gonna get away that easily." Kidd responded as he nipped along Trafalgar's jawline.

"You have been remarkably patient with me." Trafalgar admitted, and Kidd had been, what with his issues with Doflamingo invading his dreams. Trafalgar squeezed Kidd's forearm tightly, before he let his arm drop down to rest on the bed. With a sly smile, the dark haired man let himself sprawl out on the bed as he tilted his head to the side to kiss Kidd lightly on the cheek, "And since I can tell that you want to top this time, you had better be sure to take good care of me."

Kidd drew back to eye his lover and the way that he had all but bonelessly stretched out. Kidd stopped short of letting his mouth hang open, but it was a close thing. "Fuck." Trafalgar looked fucking sexy as hell the way he was lying, his tanned and tattooed skin standing out against the pale sheets.

"Are you going to stare at me all night or are we going to have sex sometime this evening?"

Kidd scowled at the mild way that Trafalgar had spoken, and leaned in to kiss the other man, "Such a fucking tease." Kidd murmured against Trafalgar's lips, swallowing a response from the dark haired man as he sneakily slipped in some tongue. The moan that Trafalgar made in response damn near made Kidd come, because the other man was being unusually sensual tonight. Not that that wasn't something he would try on occasion. Kidd hummed into the kiss in thought, before he nibbled the other man's lower lip before drawing back. Seeing the way the kiss had left Trafalgar slightly breathless made Kidd confident that he would be able to get more noises out of him.

Trafalgar seemed to pick up on Kidd's thoughts, because he let out a breathless laugh, "Do try to keep it down.. Corazon said that he doesn't want to hear us."

Kidd colored slightly as he slid down along Trafalgar's body, leaving kisses here and there that made the other man wriggle in impatience. Kidd kissed Trafalgar's taut stomach, right hand trailing lower, "Can't he mind his own damn business? If he doesn't wanna hear us he can always go out of the house."

Trafalgar shifted and let his head fall back onto the sheets as he felt Kidd's hand wrap around his member to trail along it slowly, "I am not kicking him out of the house because you can't keep quiet. And it is night out."

"We're fucking dead, remember? Who the hell's going to jump a freaky looking guy in the middle of the night anyway?" Kidd muttered, "He was just fine before he showed himself to you. Maybe people thought he was a serial killer."

"Don't make fun of him, or I'll leave right now." Trafalgar grit out, even as his eyes half shut as Kidd's hand started to move along at a steady pace.

"Fine. But I doubt you'd leave anyway." Kidd poked his lover in the back until Trafalgar turned onto his side. Kidd moved so that he could lean up against the dark haired man's back, hand still moving and making Trafalgar writhe. Kidd bit the side of Trafalgar's neck, drawing forth a faint groan. Kidd smiled against the skin, before he released the bite, and breathed against the skin, " _Who_  was making too much noise the other night, the last time we did it?"

Trafalgar's hand dipped down to flick the hand Kidd had around his member, "If you're just going to hold on, let go of it. You're the one who is being the tease, you know."

"But you like it, don't you?" Kidd asked, flicking the tip with a thumb and making Trafalgar arch against him.

"Tease." Trafalgar insisted, as he reached beneath the pillow and tossed something over his shoulder that bopped off of Kidd's forehead.

"What the hell?" Kidd growled before he realized that it was lotion that Trafalgar had tossed at him. Kidd gave the other man's dick a light squeeze, "Somebody's impatient."

"Somebody is dragging things out." Came the sharp retort.

Kidd's hand left Trafalgar, which caused the other man to let out a sigh of disappointment as Kidd fumbled with the lotion bottle, "Are you trying to be an asshole tonight?"

"Me? You're the one who couldn't wait until tomorrow." Trafalgar shifted as Kidd's right hand, slick with lotion, went down his back in an agonizingly slow line, "And if you're trying to be cute by going more slowly, you will find yourself sleeping alone for the next week."

"Shit. Seriously, why the hell are you being so damn pissy?" Kidd griped as he went about preparing Trafalgar at a somewhat slower pace than he normally would. If only to get back at the other man in return for his impatience.

Trafalgar might have said something had Kidd not started to add more lotion, and whatever other protest Trafalgar may have had was lost as Kidd started to move his fingers along at the same slow pace, which nearly drove the dark haired man up the wall until Kidd bit down on his shoulder, which elicited a strangled yelp from Trafalgar. Shaking slightly from the rather harsh bite, the dark haired man let out a sigh of exasperation, "Dammit, Kidd. I'm fine. Doflamingo-ya wasn't rough with me in my dreams. Just fuck me already and stop acting like I'm going to have a breakdown or something." Trafalgar winced as the bite vanished, before he felt Kidd press up against him from behind.

"I never thought you would have a breakdown." Kidd pressed closer, his artificial left arm curling around Trafalgar's waist, "You aren't gonna try and say you aren't ready?"

"I may just screw you instead if you keep delaying things." Trafalgar let out another moan as Kidd took him at his word, and let out a shaky breath as soon as he felt Kidd get all the way in. Trafalgar wriggled as Kidd adjusted slightly, and groaned again, "Damn it, Eustass-ya.  _Move_."

"I know, I know. You're just still so damn tight." Kidd groaned in frustration, though it was mainly because Trafalgar wouldn't stop squirming.

Trafalgar shifted backward, "Move." He insisted. Being quiet was not on his mind anymore, and if he'd have given it more thought, he would have been more embarrassed as Kidd took his words literally and started to thrust. Which in turn made Trafalgar let out a loud moan and move as well, trying to get a rhythm going to make up for Kidd abandoning his dick in favor of fucking him into the bed.

"Slow down." Kidd muttered against Trafalgar's neck, but knew that it was useless since the dark haired man didn't appear to be listening to him anymore. "Who's a tease now?" Kidd murmured as he continued to thrust, wondering just why the hell Trafalgar wanted to move things along so quickly. Was he still thinking about Doflamingo? Had the older man taken his time with him, and Trafalgar hadn't wanted a reminder of that? Something Kidd supposed that he would have to ask Trafalgar about later. But right now, he was going to make his lover cry out. He wasn't the only one who made embarrassingly loud noises.

At a particularly sharp thrust, Trafalgar bit his lip and wrapped his own hand around his member, unable to take it any longer. That Kidd didn't stop him made the dark haired man think that it had been Kidd's plan all along to make him get off on his own. Trafalgar moved his hand along faster, determined to reach his peak before Kidd, because it would make his red haired lover get off harder. Trafalgar felt it approach, and let out a breathless gasp as Kidd's hand suddenly closed over his to help him.

The resulting orgasm made him blank out momentarily, but when he came to, he could feel Kidd still buried in him, and laughing wearily against the back of his neck. Trafalgar let out a sated sigh, "Eustass-ya, pull out already. You are not going to sleep like that."

"Don't be an idiot. Of course not." Kidd grumbled, as he shifted his hips and pulled out, both men shuddering at the loss of contact. With a sleepy yawn, Kidd turned Trafalgar over so that he could wrap his right arm around his back, and held him to his chest. "Good?"

Trafalgar couldn't help but laugh, "I don't know why you even have to ask. Of course it was. I wouldn't let you top otherwise."

Kidd held Trafalgar closer as he closed his eyes, hiding the goofy grin that he now wore because of Trafalgar's words.

"Stop grinning. I'll get you back for this tomorrow." The dark haired man said drowsily against Kidd's chest.

Kidd colored slightly, before he rested his head above Trafalgar's, "You just have to ruin the mood, don't you?"

"Love you too, Eustass-ya. Now go to sleep."

"Fuck, you are embarrassing." Kidd grumbled, but merely closed his eyes and held still as Trafalgar snuggled closer to him.

Nothing else was said between them the rest of the night, because it didn't need to be voiced aloud. The two of them were happy to be together, so there was no need for any words.

-x-

Corazon nodded his head at Kidd and Trafalgar as they entered the kitchen. He was standing in front of the stove, and was currently attempting to make breakfast. After all, he needed something to occupy his mind with, as he was desperately trying to shake the image of Kidd and Trafalgar having sex the previous night. Contrary to what he had hoped, the two men had not been very quite during their shared passion. The shaking coming from the upstairs bedroom was hard to put from his mind. Corazon checked the stove for the third time in the past few minutes. He had left his dark feathery coat lying over the arm of the couch in the living room, as he didn't think that flames and feather were a good mix.

"You're cooking? I thought you didn't know how to." Trafalgar commented as he sat down on one of the chairs. "Or was Doflamingo lying when he said that you half burned down the kitchen before I met the two of you?"

Corazon's back was to the other two men, but he merely gave a shrug in response to Trafalgar's question. He didn't really have a good answer for that. He could cook if he wanted to, but there was only one problem. He tended to get things caught on fire, which had banned him from the kitchen altogether when he had been living with Doflamingo and the rest of his family. As Trafalgar had said, he had accidently burned half the kitchen down. And he had only been trying to boil some noodles, which should not have been that hard. Corazon smiled inwardly as he leaned over to check the eggs. His brother's face had certainly been well worth the hell he had been given by the rest of the family. Doflamingo's exasperated yet fond shake of his head at the sight of a scorched and slightly guilty younger brother standing next to a still burning stove.

"Cora...your hood has caught fire." Trafalgar said the words with fond exasperation.

Trafalgar's words mirrored what Corazon had been thinking of his own brother, before the dark haired man's words registered. Corazon immediately backed off from the stove and the open flames, realizing that yes, yes his hood was on fire. It was a good thing that he had many more hoods, because it unfortunately seemed to be a regular occurrence that he went through so many hoods. At least his hair had not yet caught fire.

"Chair." Trafalgar commented sharply in warning.

Corazon was still distracted by his burning hood that he had whipped off to smack the flames out to prevent it from being ruined. It was only a moment later that Trafalgar's words were taken in, but by then, it was too late. With a grunt, Corazon hit the chair and went down. Sprawled out on his back, the older man gave his hood a critical look. Scorched, but still wearable. Twisting, Corazon sat back up and plopped the hood back down over the top of his head, fingers trailing along the end of the straps that held a heart shape. Not burned. Good.

"Cora..."

Corazon's lips quirked into a tiny smile beneath the lipstick he wore, and he lifted his head to peek up at Trafalgar from beneath his hood with a sheepish expression. He knew what had prompted the tone change, and really wasn't all that offended.

Trafalgar sighed, but he couldn't hide the smile, "I'll finish breakfast."

Corazon nodded his head, the tips of his hood smacking against his shoulders as he did. It was probably a good idea. He could handle microwaves, but an open flame stove was another thing altogether.

Trafalgar went over to the stove to save the bacon and eggs from being burnt, as Kidd watched Corazon get to his feet and settle in the chair he had tripped over. Corazon was silent until Trafalgar gave him one too many concerned looks over his shoulder, and spoke softly, "I am fine, Law. It is nothing. We are dead, so it doesn't really hurt."

"You have to feel something, because last night I sure..." Trafalgar bit off that comment and with a faint color to his cheeks went back to the food.

Corazon couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that, "We can feel pain, yes, but that is just in our minds." Corazon noted that Kidd was staring hard at him, and tilted his head in an inquiring way.

Kidd frowned, "How come you only talk sometimes? You were talking a lot earlier." Kidd flinched as Trafalgar wacked him over the head with a spatula, "What the fuck?"

"Leave him alone." Trafalgar turned to Corazon, "And you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. You never did give me a clear answer why, anyway. I just never questioned it."

Corazon smiled, but it went unnoticed by both men in the room with him. Perhaps he would, at some point, but Trafalgar was right. He didn't feel comfortable saying the reason why. It was odd that he could say much of anything to begun with, and around a near stranger at that. Corazon had never met Kidd before he had seen him and Trafalgar dead.

Trafalgar finished cooking and dished the food out, and the meal was eaten in near silence, each man left to his own thoughts. Once finished, however, Trafalgar broke the silence, "I want to go explore the city. I am curious whether anyone else we know is here."

"I will stay here." The expression Corazon wore clearly meant that he expected both men to go out exploring, "Have fun."

Kidd was embarrassed at that but ridiculously pleased to see Trafalgar look so happy, and allowed the dark haired man to lean across the table to kiss him on the cheek.

"Let's get going then, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar stated as he got up out of the chair and headed for the front door, "I'll do the dishes later, Cora." Trafalgar left the house.

Corazon watched Trafalgar leave, before he turned his head to study Kidd from behind his shades, "Don't worry."

Kidd wore a confused expression, but since he did not want to linger, he merely nodded and turned to leave. Corazon made him uneasy for some reason, but it was probably just because he was not used to the other man's appearance or presence yet.

Corazon watched as the door closed, before he got up and entered the living room to sprawl on the couch and allowed his thoughts drift. He had hoped that he could have Doflamingo join him in the land of the dead, but for now...For now, Corazon would just have to watch over his brother's progress, and watch for signs of change. He had made quite a lot of progress already, as Trafalgar and Kidd being there with him in the land of the dead was a testament to the fact that Doflamingo was changing.

Corazon let out a sorrowful sigh. It was hard to do this Doflamingo, but after he'd been killed in his and Doflamingo's first lifetime…and Doflamingo had made that deal years later, when he'd learned of Trafalgar's death…

Corazon turned over. His continued existence was the only way to ensure that his older brother didn't lose his soul to something malevolent. Something that should never have existed to torment individuals in the first place. Corazon had made a deal of his own, one to make sure that his brother didn't condemn himself to eternal damnation by losing his very being, his very identity as an individual. Corazon would continue to do this until Doflamingo was no longer in danger of losing his soul. Corazon was so very close to pulling his brother free of the foolish bargain he had made so long ago.

Corazon glanced over at the front door that Kidd and Trafalgar had left through. After what had happened between Doflamingo and Trafalgar, Corazon would do anything he could to protect the dark haired man from experiencing any more torment at the hands of his brother.

Because both of them had been careless.

Corazon turned his attention to the nearby clock on the wall. Time was ticking, but the younger Donquixote brother knew that everything would turn out fine in the end. He was patient, had been patient for so long, and soon enough, he and Doflamingo, as well as Trafalgar and Kidd, could sort things out between them.

Until that time came to pass, Corazon only needed to watch and wait.

Watch like he had been all along, ever since he had first died, at all the events that unfolded before him. Watching over Trafalgar, Doflamingo and Kidd.

Corazon closed his eyes briefly. He hoped that the change would come sooner. For himself, and for Trafalgar, but most of all for Doflamingo.

Doflamingo, who was worse off in the constant, never ending cycle of life and death.

Corazon removed his hood and set it on his chest with a sigh. He had one person to look after now, and then there would be only the continued existence in the land of the dead, until someone decided to change it. However long they would happen to be there, whether for eternity or hundreds of years, he wasn't sure. The being he had made the deal with had been a little vague on the overall time. The former seemed more likely for the time he would spend in this place. But Corazon didn't mind knowing that he would likely never live again in the world of the living, because he would be able to be with both Trafalgar and Doflamingo.

For Corazon, that would be more than enough.

-x-

Two shadowed figures sat across from one another, a half played chess match on the table between the two of them. The absence of light appeared to not overly bother them, as they were both clearly able to see the pieces of the chess set.

The first figure reached out and picked up a piece. A black knight. They took a rook, and a half smile was thrown at the figure across from them, "That's check, old man. Are you having second thoughts?"

The second figure snorted at that and surveyed the pieces with a critical eye, "Brat. Don't be so confident when the game is far from over." The figure paused before they reached out and used a white bishop to take a pawn. Eyes raised to the other in the shadowed room, "And now I have check. Do you remember our wager?"

The first figure sighed as they studied the board, "Release the curse over that one man who's been around in an infinite loop for hundreds of years? Yeah, I remember. But it is amusing that he thought he could get what he wanted with a deal. I can't do miracles, you know."

"Because you don't see everything as one picture." The other figure rumbled, his bigger frame towering over the other figure. "And you like to trick people in the first place anyway."

The first figure moved a rook carelessly across the board, "I don't even see why you would care in the first place. And besides, didn't you make a deal with the guy's brother?"

"I did, because I dislike seeing a certain  _someone_  toy with other's lives. And due to it, the deal is done on my end once you release the curse." The second figure stated, and picked up a white knight and placed it on a space in a final sort of way, "Checkmate."

The second figure tsked. "Damn."


	55. Nocturnal Activities

He had finally reached the point in his long life that he never thought he would have come to. Looking back on things, he would have laughed at the very idea that he had even wanted such a thing to pass.

Doflamingo wanted to die.

It would have been funny to him if it weren't so true to how he felt in his current mood.

The older man was world weary and far more depressed than he had ever remembered being. Doflamingo felt that nothing was ever going to change, no matter what he did to try and make things work. He had even gone so far as to modify his behavior. However little that ended up being. But it still was not enough to give him any kind of hope for some change in the future. And Doflamingo was finally tired of Law turning away from him every time he came across a reincarnation of the dark haired man. There was only so much patience Doflamingo could allow, when he almost always knew within a couple days how things were going to play out. And this past time that he had come across Law...

Doflamingo slumped into his chair in his room of his current residence, and stared at nothing in particular. There was no one around, and that was what he had wanted. Doflamingo needed some time to think about what had just happened to him a few days ago. The last parting Doflamingo had had with Law had been vicious. The younger man had managed to get away unscathed, though it was only because the older man did not want to harm Law. Doflamingo himself...he had not been so lucky for his show of mercy. A throb of pain caused Doflamingo to rest his hand lightly over his abdomen, to where he had bandages wrapped around the skin there. Doflamingo smiled without humor. No matter how or when Doflamingo encountered the dark haired doctor, the man was always very handy with a weapon. Doflamingo traced the stitches beneath the bandages with a contemplative finger. With this wound, Doflamingo was again reminded of the unpleasant fact that he could not die. It didn't matter how fatal the wound might be that he might receive once in a blue moon. It would heal, as it always did.

That was one constant in his life that never changed.

Doflamingo ground his teeth. This was all  _his_  fault for Doflamingo being unable to end things.  _He_  was the one who had cursed him to live this never ending cycle of life and death.

Almost as if Doflamingo's thoughts had been said aloud, one side of the room began to grow darker.

Despite how awful and depressed he was, Doflamingo forced himself to straighten up in his chair. He knew that darkness. It felt wrong, so he knew who it was that had come to visit him. Doflamingo glared at the pitch black side of the room, "Are you here to gloat? For finally being able to break me down enough that I want nothing more than for it to all end?"

"Zehahaha! I had hoped that would eventually happen. Because I love seein' how miserable you are. More so than that laughing, confident man you had been." The voice turned sly, though the presence did not reveal itself, "I guess that reminds me that I never thanked you for driving me mad while trying to possess me. You know I killed thirty people before they caught me?"

Doflamingo managed a brief flash of a smile, "If you are just here to reminisce, Blackbeard, then leave me be. I have no desire to exchange words with such a deranged being."

There was a short laugh, "Look who's talking." Blackbeard sighed, "And no, I'm not."

"Then why are you here?" Doflamingo demanded, his temper short, his wound aggravated as he sat up the rest of the way. Doflamingo stiffened when the rest of the room was plunged into a deep darkness. The older man could not see anything, but he could sense Blackbeard. Doflamingo sucked in a harsh breath as a sharp blade plunged into his chest without warning, though whether it struck his heart was irrelevant. The pain and searing agony from the sudden unprovoked attack made Doflamingo fall limp against the chair. He ignored that for now. Instead, Doflamingo became acutely aware of Blackbeard's presence when the man used one hand to push the dagger in more deeply, even though the damage had been done. Doflamingo could feel the blood oozing from the fresh wound, but the blond chose to focus on why the hell Blackbeard was doing this to him in the first place. Doflamingo hated being helpless, and that was exactly what he was right now. Barely able to more without risking making the new wound worse, and not having the strength to shove Blackbeard away. "Why?" Doflamingo hissed. He tried to ignore that his breath was getting harder to come by.

Blackbeard acted as if he had done nothing, "If I had had the choice, I would continue to let you rot here, suffering life after life for something you'll never get, no matter how hard you try."

For a moment there was nothing but the shuddering gasps from Doflamingo, before the other man continued to speak. "I am only here because I lost a bet, and because of it, you're off the hook. You get your wish." Blackbeard drew another dagger and slashed Doflamingo across the throat without a hesitation, silencing whatever it had been that Doflamingo had tried to say. Blackbeard sighed as he put that dagger away, and stepped back, the darkness retreating along with him, "It's a shame though. I guess I'll just have to find some other poor fool to torment for eternity. You got lucky." The darkness vanished altogether, taking Blackbeard with it, his voice an echo as it faded, "Though I'm not going to stick around to lead you to the light or whatever the hell is coming for you. One last hurdle for you to deal with one your own. If you can. I ain't a saint, after all."

Doflamingo slumped further into his chair, his breath a labored gurgle with his newly slashed throat. He dimly realized that Blackbeard hadn't plunged the dagger through his heart, though it had been a close thing. His throat was another matter altogether. He could feel the blood pooling down his throat to his chest, the air escaping through the gaping wound. Doflamingo knew he was losing a lot of blood, and realized with a small stab of dread that the wounds Blackbeard had just dealt him felt far different than the one that he had been given by Law days before. Doflamingo's eyes half closed. He felt even more worn out than he had before, as if all the stress and depression he had been feeling over the years had come together all at once, and his body was unable to handle it.

Instead of being afraid of what was apparently his demise, if Blackbeard could be trusted to hold his word, Doflamingo felt oddly detached from it all. It was if the thought of dying were a foreign concept to him after living for such a long time without rest. No. Not living. Surviving. Doflamingo hadn't really lived after he had killed his own brother, and had lost Trafalgar because of it.

The more Doflamingo thought about it, the more he began to think that he didn't want to die after all. But Doflamingo knew that it was useless to fight against his wounded body. It was shutting down on him bit by bit, and his limbs were losing strength. Doflamingo weakly tried to push himself up, the purpose of doing so lost to him, but his hand slipped instead and ended up hanging limply over the arm of the chair. Doflamingo chuckled hoarsely and coughed as his eyes slipped close. Doflamingo dimly recalled the dagger that Blackbeard had stabbed him in the chest with was gone. When had it been removed?

Doflamingo could feel his consciousness slipping, and from the cold chill he now felt, must have lost a good portion of his blood from the nasty throat wound. He wasn't going to wake up after this. Not this time. At the thought, Doflamingo's mind came alive in utter panic. His body, however, did not reflect what he was feeling but for the faint twitch of his hands. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to simply cease to exist? Was he going to be able to see Trafalgar, if only to swallow his pride and apologize, in a last attempt to get through to the dark haired man?

_'I don't want to die.'_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Doflamingo seized onto it desperately. He  _didn't_  want to die. He didn't know what would happen to him when he did. He had not realized it before, but the more he thought about it, the more Doflamingo realized that he was not ready to die yet. And it was because he had grown so accustomed to never dying that it hadn't really sunk in what would happen should the day come that he would reach the end of his long existence. Doflamingo recognized that he was afraid. It was not an emotion that he was overly familiar with or entirely comfortable experiencing. Not much could threaten Doflamingo, but the looming threat of imminent death was apparently something he realized too late that he was not ready for. Doflamingo had thought that he was, but obviously not. The panic Doflamingo felt set in further, and the twitching of his body aggravated all of his wounds, and made it hurt to even breathe. And speaking of breath, Doflamingo noted dimly that it was getting harder and harder to get any air.

Doflamingo's brow furrowed as a light touch rested over the hand that was limp over the side of the chair. Perhaps he was hallucinating, but he could have sworn that there was a hand resting over his own. Doflamingo felt the hand and it was a hand, he realized, when it slipped around his own and held on. Doflamingo let out a hiss of breath, before he twitched his hand, "Cora…?" The hand squeezed gently in response, and that was when Doflamingo decided that he had to be hallucinating. There was no other explanation, because he also felt someone standing on his other side. Doflamingo thought he heard a voice whisper in his ear, but it was too faint for his failing sense to make out. In his near delirious state, Doflamingo was struck by the idea that it was Trafalgar.

Doflamingo felt whom he believed to be Corazon squeeze his hand again. As if in reassurance.

Doflamingo wanted to laugh, but couldn't. He was too far gone for that. As his consciousness because to slip away further, Doflamingo heard a soft voice speak to him. One that he had only heard a handful of times.

_'It's time to go now.'_

Time to go indeed, Doflamingo thought absently, as he drifted off as his injures took their toll on his body. As he died, or so he thought, Doflamingo felt Corazon's hand grip his own more tightly and vaguely wondered why his brother was even bothering with him after what he had done.

And then Doflamingo knew nothing as a darkness surrounded him.

In that dark place, Doflamingo felt himself led along by another presence, though there was another one that he could sense nearby.

Was it Trafalgar?

-x-

He felt that things had gone better than he could have imagined. And what had followed was a pleasant feeling of closure that he no longer had to worry about his brother's soul being ripped from him. That only left mundane things to worry about, and those were far more easily resolved.

Corazon tilted his head up in the direction of the bedroom, and silently apologized to Trafalgar. He had decided that the dark haired man needed to sort things out between himself and Doflamingo, as well as Kidd, but apparently, that was easier said than done.

And from the sound of the raised voices, Kidd and Doflamingo had apparently angered Trafalgar, as the dark haired man had spoken loudly with obvious malice.

"You fucking jackasses! I'm standing right here!"

-x-

"Trafalgar?" Kidd questioned hesitantly a few hours later. He remained standing a few good feet away from where the dark haired man was seated. Kidd wasn't sure what to expect, but the redhead knew that the other man was not in a very receptive mood. And for good reason.

Trafalgar gave Kidd a dismissive glance, before looking away again in stony silence.

"Law?" Kidd tried again as he tentatively took a few steps forward. He stopped again at the hostile glare now aimed his way. Kidd swallowed down some anger of his own as he spoke, "I didn't mean it, you know. That pink wearing son of a bitch twisted it around."

"You still said it."

Kidd flinched as if the other man had struck him, and again held back his anger. This time around he knew that things were his fault, and that Trafalgar had every right to be furious with him right now. Hell, even Doflamingo was staying out of the dark haired man's way after he and Kidd had been hammered with a raised voice neither had heard out of Trafalgar before. Not to mention the slaps before the dark haired doctor had stormed off in a fury.

Trafalgar crossed one leg over the other from where he was seated on a small chair in the hall on the second floor of the house.

Kidd took one more step forward, before he halted abruptly as he was struck by a book that Trafalgar had been holding. The redhead let it bounce off him, and glanced at where it fell on the ground before he lifted his gaze to Trafalgar's. And felt slight guilt at the fact that while the other man was furious, he also seemed to be teetering on the edge of tears, which completely threw Kidd off as to what he should do to fix things, "Trafalgar…"

"Leave me alone." Trafalgar said darkly as he looked away again, as if the redhead would disappear from sight if he did not see him.

Kidd hesitated for one brief moment, considering it, before he moved into the dark haired man's personal space. Kidd watched Trafalgar tense up on the chair, even as he ignored the redhead's presence for the most part. Kidd let out a sigh and crouched down in front of Trafalgar, "You do know that I never once thought of you as some plaything to be tossed away if I ever got bored of you, right?"

Trafalgar tensed further but said nothing.

Kidd settled on his knees and rested his hands on Trafalgar's thighs, moving the leg that was crossed to give him better access. "You know Doflamingo is just looking for an excuse to get you to boot me out of the house for a couple weeks so he can be alone with you." Along with Corazon, which was just fucking weird that the younger brother was in the same house as them. Not to mention being startled whenever Corazon happened to suddenly be in the same room, though it was usually only when he seemed to have sensed that Trafalgar was getting upset.

The dark haired man briefly met Kidd's eyes before he dipped his head in a silent nod, "I know, but the two of you were still saying all of it in front of me as if I weren't standing there with you."

Kidd rose slightly, his hands resting on the arms of the chair as he leaned over Trafalgar and brushed his lips against the dark haired man's cheek, "But I thought you said I was too stupid to have an intelligent conversation?" Kidd let out a low laugh at the swat to his shoulder, "C'mon, don't be mad. I know you're happy that you scared Doflamingo off for now, aren't you?"

"Maybe." Trafalgar said dubiously as he tilted his head up with a sigh as Kidd bent over further and kissed him briefly. "But I'm still mad at both of you." Trafalgar murmured as Kidd broke the kiss to nuzzle alongside his neck and down to his shoulder.

"Can I make it up to you?" Kidd wondered as he lifted his head back to look at Trafalgar. And then winced when the other man slapped him as he had earlier in the day. "What the hell?" Kidd hissed as he abruptly backed away and rubbed at his cheek. He backed away further when Trafalgar was up and glaring at him, seething with renewed rage.

"I am not having any sex with either of you! Don't think that being able to talk to me will change what the two of you said. I told you I wanted to be  _alone_." With a final disproving glare, Trafalgar turned on his heel toward the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

Kidd stared, hand still to his cheek, although his scowl returned when he noticed a shadow fall over him, accompanied by a laugh.

"Fufufufu. Mad at both of us, is he?" Doflamingo eyed the closed door, "That is a problem."

"That is mostly your fault."

Doflamingo smiled as he waved a hand dismissively, "And he will remain that way unless we do something about it."

"We?" Kidd questioned.

Doflamingo grinned in return at the curious tone the redhead's voice had taken, and continued smoothly, "I propose that we set aside any arguments for the rest of the night."

"And do what?" Kidd asked, as he regarded the taller man suspiciously.

Doflamingo grinned wickedly in response. "Something Law wouldn't expect us to do."

-x-

Trafalgar was exhausted, and even though he had not said it aloud to either of the men that he had been arguing with for hours, he knew that they had to know the state he was in. And if they hadn't, him passing out in bed was a damn good indication about how he felt about them arguing over who got to sleep with him at night. Trafalgar let out a soft scoff. He could sleep with whoever he damn pleased, and he had told Doflamingo and Kidd as much, before slamming the bedroom door in both of their faces. Which also should have been a good indication that he wanted to sleep alone that night because he could not stand their childish bickering over him like he was some toy that the other had stolen. That the two had tried to talk to him together after dinner was odd, but Trafalgar dismissed it after he had flopped onto the bed.

The dark haired man relaxed further against the sheets, clad only in some boxers that he was fairly certain belonged to Kidd, as they were slightly loose on him. Yawning, Trafalgar closed his eyes, intent on getting some sleep when he heard it. The sound of the bedroom door opening. Apparently he'd forgotten to lock it. Not that that would have been much of a deterrent to begin with. The dark haired man frowned, displeased, and spoke aloud drowsily, "I thought I made it clear that I was going to be sleeping alone tonight." The door closed abruptly, and Trafalgar let out a sigh. Honestly, couldn't either of them take a hint? Just as Trafalgar was about to completely drift off, he felt the bed shift, and a warm body soon moved in up against his back snugly. Trafalgar frowned at the sensation, but sleepily decided that it didn't matter if it were Kidd or Doflamingo. Neither of them would get any enjoyment out of trying to have sex with him when he was nearly asleep.

The warm body behind him shifted, and Trafalgar's brow furrowed as sleep began to edge away from his mind as a hand began to trail along his body. The hand started at his arm, and then trailed down his forearm to his stomach, where the fingers twirled in a lazy circle, before the hand went lower, and rested over the front of Trafalgar's boxers and cupped his crotch.

Trafalgar involuntarily arched his back against the body behind him as the hand massaged his member through the fabric, before it drew away. The dark haired doctor couldn't help but let out a soft, confused moan at the loss of contact until a mouth began tracing his jawline before leaving a trail of kisses down the side of his neck and teeth scraped against his shoulder gently. "Mm." Trafalgar titled his head with a sigh as the hand went back to rubbing him, though it felt a little different than before. It was more firm and sure and the way the fingers squeezed him through the fabric made him wiggle his hips a little impatiently at the teasing. Since he was still half asleep Trafalgar hadn't yet figured out whether it was Kidd or Doflamingo, though the way the hand was cupping him and teasing him mercilessly, unlike the slow movement that it had first been, he would have to guess that it was Doflamingo. The older man did so enjoy tormenting him in that way.

The hand stilled, and Trafalgar realized that his dick was certainly waking up even if his mind still had yet to catch up. Trafalgar stretched out on the bed against the warm body that was behind him, and felt one of their arms loop itself around his waist. The dark haired man bit his lip lightly as the same hand started to tug at the boxers, but sadly, as soon as Trafalgar became fully aware of what was happening, he hastily snapped both of his legs shut on the hand that was teasing him. If it was Doflamingo, he could ream the other man out on the definition of being alone. He would also inform the older man that if he wanted to try and get him to not hate him, that it was a stupid idea to insult him by calling him a plaything in front of Kidd, which had made Trafalgar become so upset in the first place.

Trafalgar heard a chuckle, and realized with a jolt that it was Doflamingo, but…the older man's laugh was not coming from the body that was pressed up against him. What the hell? Trafalgar heard a short laugh emit from the person behind him, and realized that it was Kidd. Trafalgar's eyes shot open. What the hell was going on? Why the hell would both Doflamingo and Kidd concede to be in the same room without immediately getting into an argument with one another again? "Both of you get the hell out." Trafalgar felt the bed creak, and even though he was still angry with both men, he felt a kind of excitement when he felt Kidd's arm tighten around his waist.

Trafalgar sat up and Kidd allowed him to, and he moved backward up against the redhead so that he could eye Doflamingo warily. The older man was too close, but it answered the question of who had their hand over his boxers and was teasing him. With a faint flush Trafalgar realized that Kidd must have been the one to touch him first, and the thought of them taking turns made him slightly embarrassed yet at the same time...

Doflamingo noticed the look he was being given and gave the cloth covered member a light flick of his finger whole wearing a knowing smile.

Trafalgar felt himself getting harder from just that, and the fact that he could feel Kidd as the redhead grinned against his skin and kissed the side of his throat. Doflamingo's glasses were off, and the look in the blue eyes made it clear that the blond felt as if he had won some kind of prize. Kidd obviously felt similarly by the way he was lavishing the side of the dark haired man's throat. Trafalgar felt that this meant that there was imminent sex in his future, and as much as he wanted it, he wasn't about to let these two idiots try and get out of being in trouble by double teaming him. As hot as it seemed in his mind, Trafalgar had to remind himself why he was angry at them in the first place. Law noted that there was something on the bed that hadn't been there before, but he was distracted from making out what it was when Doflamingo freed his hand and lifted the dark haired man to his knees, and Kidd followed so that he could remain pressed up against Trafalgar.

Trafalgar looked up at the grinning blond's face suspiciously, "I thought the two of you were going to continue your argument of who was going to share the bed with me out of earshot so that I do not have to hear your stupidity."

"We came to a…temporary agreement for the night." Doflamingo said cryptically as he leaned over and kissed the dark haired doctor with a smothered laugh.

Trafalgar felt Kidd pull his arms behind his back but couldn't much care why the redhead was doing so as Doflamingo's tongue darted over his lips. With a sigh at both men's odd behavior, Trafalgar decided that he could take advantage of it for a brief time before kicking both of them out of the room. With that in mind, Trafalgar parted his lips and moaned as Doflamingo immediately plunged his tongue into his mouth and seemed quiet determined to deprive him of any oxygen. One of Doflamingo's free hands trailed down Trafalgar's back, and the dark haired man mumbled something into the kiss he was locked in. It had almost seemed as if there had been a tug around his wrists, but the sensation was gone, and what was left behind was a firm pressure. That didn't seem right either.

The dark haired man was gasping for air by the time Doflamingo released him, and he sagged slightly, only to be held up from behind. Trafalgar knew it was Kidd as he felt the redhead's breath spill over his skin as he spoke.

"I didn't think you'd get so angry." The redhead admitted. "You know I didn't mean any of it." Trafalgar could all but see the feral grin as Kidd continued. "So we figured we would make it up to you tonight, and then leave you out of it tomorrow until we came to an...agreement."

"Or a fight." Trafalgar commented lightly as he tried to bring up a hand to poke Kidd, only to feel a restrictive tug that prevented him from doing so. Then it hit him that Kidd had secured his wrists behind his back with what felt like thin rope. Doflamingo and Kidd's words instantly made sense, as were their intentions. Trafalgar was still a little frustrated, but the idea of having both Kidd and Doflamingo do their best to drive him crazy in bed made it vanish. For now, anyway. If there was a temporary lull in their bickering, and they wanted to please him, then...Trafalgar supposed that he could always get back at them later. Quiet suddenly, the boxers he believed too big on him were much too small, as his member had hardened further at the very thought of Kidd and Doflamingo touching him at the same time.

Doflamingo chuckled as he lifted his free hand to poke the bulge with a questing finger, "I think he is agreeable to the idea."

Kidd rested his head against the nape of Trafalgar's neck, and felt a tremble that ran throughout the other man's body. He grinned, "I think you're right, for once. We should do something about it before he hurts himself." Kidd inched backward and leaned Trafalgar up against his chest as his right hand dipped into the waistband of the boxers while his artificial left limb wrapped around above the dark haired man's waist.

Doflamingo settled in front of them, and moved Trafalgar's legs to either side. The older man grinned when the other tried his best to leave them spread apart, the resistance from earlier gone. Doflamingo leaned his cheek up against the inside of Trafalgar's thigh, his smile widening at the lusty look in the dark haired man's half lidded eyes.

Trafalgar's head fell back against Kidd as the redhead and Doflamingo worked the boxers off, and the blond's mouth closed over him. Trafalgar's eyes squeezed shut as Doflamingo took in more of his member, and squirmed as Kidd's right hand popped open a bottle and dipped the liquid from in it down his back and then lower. Trafalgar made a muffled moan as a finger slipped in at the same time Doflamingo moved away and started to lick his way up his length instead. Fucking teases. Both of them were fucking teases and Trafalgar longed to touch both of them to get them to get a move on with things. But all the dark haired man could do was twitch his fingertips against Kidd's chest as the redhead slipped in a second finger.

The room was silent but for Trafalgar's helpless moans of pleasure as Kidd and Doflamingo worked him over, until he couldn't stand the dual stimulation and came.

Trafalgar slumped against Kidd, and only protested marginally as Doflamingo lifted him up to his knees again. Trafalgar let out a soft sound as Doflamingo locked him into another kiss, and couldn't help but let out a loud moan as Kidd pressed up against him. Having his wrists tied behind his back was infuriating, because he wanted to touch them too, but it seemed to all be a part of their elaborate plan to get him to forget why he'd been angry with them in the first place by drowning him in pleasurable sensations. If that was their intention, they would be disappointed, because he still remembered. The only problem was that he wasn't about to try and stop them from what they were doing. The kiss broke and Trafalgar gasped for breath as Doflamingo looked over his shoulder at Kidd. The dark haired man felt a nudge, and desperately wanted to cling to someone.

Doflamingo seemed to sense this as he tugged Trafalgar forward into his arms to hold him and breathed against the side of his throat. "Do you want your lover to fuck you?"

Kidd huffed something under his breath as he inched forward to press up against the dark haired man again.

Trafalgar opened his eyes briefly, before he shifted his hips back and made a nonsense string of syllables.

Doflamingo chuckled as he ran a hand along Trafalgar's spine lightly and grinned at Kidd, "Maybe we should stop if he can't say he wants it."

Kidd snorted, "You just want to be the one to do it instead."

"Rock, paper, scissors is a very poor way to decide such a thing." Doflamingo said as he continued to trail a few fingers along Trafalgar's back. The hand dipped lower to flick at Kidd's member, and the blond grinned at the snarl that emitted from the redhead, "Besides, I'm bigger than you and you know he likes it bigger."

"Shut the fuck up." Kidd growled, one hand swatting Doflamingo's away. "I am big for a normal sized person."

Doflamingo laughed as he went back to trailing his fingers along Trafalgar's spine.

Trafalgar was mostly ignoring the bickering as his mind had latched on to what Doflamingo had said. And found a renewed sense of anger at both men's stupidity. Rock paper scissors? Trafalgar's wrists strained against the rope that held them bound together as he bit down on Doflamingo's nearest shoulder with a growl of displeasure. Screw having a pleasurable experience if they had decided who got to fuck him by playing such a childish game. "Get the fuck out of the room, now." Trafalgar snarled after he had decided he had left a good enough mark on Doflamingo's shoulder. He was beyond frustrated when Doflamingo and Kidd merely clung to him more tightly.

"How else were we supposed to decide?" Kidd grumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

Trafalgar could tell that Kidd wanted to press further against him, and took one shuddering breath to continue speaking, and hoped he wouldn't regret it, "That is the stupidest thing I've heard today. Why didn't you both just decide to fuck me together and leave it at that?"

There was a long pause as the words sunk in.

Trafalgar felt the other two men's grasp tighten to the point that it was almost painful as he hastily added, "Not at the same time though. I want to be able to walk."

Doflamingo chuckled as he tilted the dark haired man's chin up to kiss him, before he whispered against his lips, "It wasn't to see who got to fuck you. It was who got to do it first."

There was another silence, this one thoughtful as Trafalgar digested that, and found that he liked the idea, even if he was still pissed off. Then, he decided to just go with it. He had all the time in the world to chew these two idiots out later. Trafalgar nipped Doflamingo's lower lip and growled, "Then you both had better damn well make sure that I enjoy it."

"Of course." Doflamingo crooned even as his smile threatened to stretch further than it should have been able to as he kissed Trafalgar again. "That was the idea."

There was a short pause, before Trafalgar let out a yelp as Kidd pressed up against him and shoved in sharply. But that was all Trafalgar had time to think of as Doflamingo brought him back in for yet another kiss to distract him from any of the initial pain. It appeared to work, as Kidd soon found a comfortable rhythm as he rested his head against Trafalgar's upper back and laid kisses there.

Trafalgar's eyes were still closed as Doflamingo deepened the kiss they were in, and soon enough his body had had all it could take. It was embarrassingly short time to last, but considering the amount of teasing Doflamingo and Kidd had given him, it wasn't all that surprising. He could feel that he was about to come, and was self-conscious about the fact that he was between the two other men, and neither had seemed inclined to touch him. Trafalgar twitched in surprise as Kidd's right hand wrapped around the base of his member as Doflaming's toyed with the tip. That was enough to get Trafalgar to come, and he did so with a sharp cry as he arched into the other's touch.

Kidd came after a few more thrusts, and pulled out to flop beside Trafalgar with a tired chuckle. He studied Trafalgar's heavily breathing and sweaty body, and spoke dryly, "I don't think that he is angry anymore."

Trafalgar heard Doflamingo laugh, but waited until he had his breath under control before speaking, "That remains to be seen. Are you going to untie me?" The dark haired man missed the look thrown between Kidd and Doflamingo, but he sure as hell felt Doflamingo press up against him from behind, the older man obviously still very aroused from the feel of it.

"I think he might still be a little upset." Doflamingo commented airily as he nipped the side of Trafalgar's neck and teasingly rubbed up against the dark haired man's backside.

Kidd ran a hand along Trafalgar's half limp dick, "Yeah, I guess we'll have to keep going until he isn't."

"Hm...my turn then." Doflamingo said, as he reached up and freed the dark haired man's wrists from the rope.

Trafalgar felt Doflamingo press up against him again, and growled, "Not from behind."

Doflamingo grinned as he leaned back and easily flipped Trafalgar onto his back before he settled over him with a smile, "I thought you didn't particularly care?"

Trafalgar looked up before he reached a hand up and swatted Doflamingo lightly on the cheek, "I told the two of you that I wanted to touch you too. I can't do that if I have to hold myself up." The dark haired man let his head drop back onto the bed as he heard a chuckle emit from Doflamingo as a hand trailed down his side teasingly.

"I thought we told you that we were the ones trying to get you in a better mood. If you participate, how are we supposed to do that?" Doflamingo queried as he slipped a finger in and ran his tongue along Trafalgar's collarbone, his other arm resting over one of Trafalgar's forearms.

Trafalgar's brow furrowed again in confusion, but his mind was not altogether there as Doflamingo added another finger and moved them around with a flourish that pissed him off but at the same time couldn't help but moan at the sensation and effect it was having on his body. The dark haired man let out a muffled gasp as Kidd settled on the side of the arm not held down, and mumbled something into the kiss Kidd locked him in soon after. It was brief, but as the redhead slipped in some tongue, Trafalgar felt his arm behind moved so that it was up and resting near his head. "What are you doing?" Trafalgar murmured, as Kidd moved to kiss along his jawline.

"Guess." Kidd slipped his right hand into Trafalgar's and held on, to pin the other man's hand to the bed. Kidd traced the hand of his artificial left hand over the dark haired man's upper chest, before he smirked at Trafalgar squirming from whatever Doflamingo had done with his fingers.

Trafalgar wondered exactly why he was becoming aroused again, and decided that it had to do with the fact that they were dead. So it followed, in his mind, that there were not any physical restrictions as there would have been had they been alive. Trafalgar squeezed his eyes shut as Doflamingo's fingers retreated, and knew what was going to happen, and found that he welcomed it, despite the still bizarre idea that Kidd and Doflamingo were not at one another's throats for being near him at the same time. Traflagar let out a moan of pleasure as he felt Doflamingo start to enter him, but the sound was swallowed up as Kidd kissed him again, his right hand moving from his hand and down to wrap around the dark haired man's dick.

Doflamingo smiled against Trafalgar's chest as he thrust, "I thought you weren't going to let him do anything?"

"It's just one arm." Kidd mumbled against the dark haired doctor's lips. He did wince as Trafalgar scratched his nails down what he could reach of his back, leaving deeper marks whenever Doflamingo happened to hit a particularly pleasurable spot. "He ain't going anywhere anyway."

Trafalgar took a deep, shuddering breath before he reached up and gripped Kidd by the back of his hair as his hand threadedthrough the hair. "Shut the fuck up and kiss me." He mumbled irritably as he tugged Kidd toward him. The redhead's lips met his own, and for the moment, refused to let Kidd deepen it despite the other man's obvious desire to do so.

Kidd let out an exasperated breath, "Damn you are such a fucking tease, Trafalgar."

"But you like it, don't you? It makes him cuter than he is." Doflamingo commented with obvious humor.

Trafalgar raised his eyes to Doflamingo, and flushed slightly because the other man had stopped moving, and was buried in him while wearing a sharp smile. The dark haired man looked away, "I am not." The arm trapped by Doflamingo's hand twitched, and he glared up at the older man, "And you,  _move_. You know I hate it when you just leave it there. Remember that one time that we had to have Vergo give us extra lube and stand guard outside the room?"

Doflamingo laughed as he shifted his hips and gave a small movement, "But I was able to spend more time with you."

Trafalgar gave him a dour look, "That you enjoyed me scolding you is very strange. But then again, you have always been weird." Trafalgar titled his head involuntarily as Kidd began to leave kisses along his throat, before he felt Kidd rest his cheek against his. The dark haired man closed his eyes, "Hurry the hell up and move." Doflamingo's response was faster than he had anticipated, and the renewed movement made him let out a sharp cry, which he hadn't remembered that Kidd was likely to take advantage of. Trafalgar moaned in faint surprise, and then pleasure, as Kidd locked lips with him and ravished the inside of his mouth with his tongue.

Kidd smiled into the kiss as Trafalgar writhed beneath his and Doflamingo's ministrations, and wondered how long the dark haired man could hold out. Kidd squeezes Trafalgar's member gently before he ran his hand along it at a steady pace, attempting to match the pace that Doflamingo had set.

Trafalgar's hand tightened in Kidd's hair to hold him in the kiss, feeling overwhelmed by the sensations he was being assailed with. Unable to stand it any longer, the dark haired man could not hold back any longer and came, and shuddered as Kidd slid his hand along a few more time before leaving his body and going to his own. At least, that was what Trafalgar figured, because soon enough Kidd himself was moaning into his mouth.

Doflamingo growled something and started to make more precise movements as if Trafalgar and Kidd's actions had further aroused him.

Trafalgar broke the kiss as his arm went to wrap around Kidd's neck to let out little gasps as Doflamingo continued to thrust sharply. Trafalgar almost let out a scream, only to have Doflamingo lean forward to kiss him as he came himself.

There was a long period of silence before any of them moved.

Trafalgar lie down with a whimper of relief, sated and too exhausted to do anything else for the moment. The dark haired man shuddered as he felt Doflamingo pull away from him and lie next to him as one arm draped over his waist. Trafalgar felt Kidd settle on his other side similarly, his left arm going over his chest. It was almost surreal to be still and listening to Kidd and Doflamingo breathing on either side of him. Trafalgar's eyes closed, too worn out to try and attempt to scold them. What had just occurred was almost enough to make Trafalgar forget that he was dead. If the silence had continued, the dark haired man was fairly certain that he would have thought about it, but it wasn't to be that night.

The dark haired man half opened his eyes when he heard laughs emit from Kidd and Doflamingo. With a swift glance between the two, he closed his eyes once more. Not a moment later, he felt both Kidd and Doflamingo start to trail their hands along him, and inwardly sighed.

Trafalgar had the feeling that he was not going to be able to get any sleep like this.

-x-

Corazon settled on a chair in the living room the next morning, feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep despite the rather erotic moans and gasps and almost screams that had come from the room upstairs. Corazon stretched as he toyed with a strand of his hood. His smile was hidden beneath the marks he had put over his lips and cheeks, which he supposed was a good thing right now, because the three other men in the house would have taken offense to the smile in different ways. Corazon supposed that he shouldn't have worried, because no one was even paying attention to him right now. The younger Donquixote brother let out a raspy laugh at the sight of what was taking place on the overly large couch across from where he was seated. While his brother had changed, Corazon could do nothing to how Kidd and Trafalgar would react to him, nor he to them. Corazon could only watch to make sure things didn't get too out of hand.

So he settled back in the chair comfortably to watch the show, feeling a little bad that Trafalgar didn't seem to know what to do about the two men on either side of him vying for his attention. But he appeared to be happy, and that was the only thing that Corazon was concerned about right now.


	56. Epilogue: A New Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more for my information. Last chapter edited I believe was chapter 25 on May 15, 2016. I mass posted the rest of the chapters September 17, 2017. So I may or may not get around to editing the 25+ chapters I just posted but I wanted people to be able to read the whole story here on Ao3 as well, instead of waiting for me to get around to editing each chapter.

He didn't know how Corazon could be so calm with what was going on right in front of him. Though Trafalgar supposed that he was merely there to make sure that things didn't get out of hand. Why Corazon would subject himself to the sight of his brother and Kidd fighting over him was something he was curious about, but would ask about later. For now, Trafalgar had more important things to worry about, and that was getting both Doflamingo and Kidd to stop smothering him at any given opportunity.

"Let go of him!"

"You first."

Or dissolve into a fight over him. How far Trafalgar had fallen that he couldn't even deal with Kidd and Doflamingo bitching over who got to sit next to him in the house. It was childish, but at the same time the dark haired man found it, embarrassingly enough, rather endearing that the two men seated on either side of him that were prone to violent outbursts were gently holding on to him as they argued with one another.

Trafalgar gave Corazon a sharp look when he heard the other make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Not to mention that it appeared as if he were smiling beneath his hood at him as well. The dark haired man wasn't sure why Corazon would find what he saw funny in any way.

Corazon merely allowed himself another secretive smile as he tapped the armchair and gave a little shake of his head.

Trafalgar wasn't sure what that meant, but he damn sure was going to figure out what once he got out of his current predicament. It was distracting enough that he let slide the fact that Corazon could have easily broken into the conversation, or even smugly sat on Doflamingo as if to join in on the fun. Trafalgar smirked. That had been funny the last time, as he and Kidd had snuggled up to one another on a nearby chair as Corazon fell over across Doflamingo's lap and refused to move for half the night, much to his older brother's annoyance.

Trafalgar set his jaw as he was jostled. Right now, however, the dark haired man was highly displeased from where he was seated on the couch between Doflamingo and Kidd. He didn't even have to look at them to know that the two were glaring daggers at one another over his head. Despite last night's pleasant activities, both Doflamingo and Kidd were back to fighting over him as soon as they had woken up. So much for them taking the argument out of his earshot. Trafalgar scowled, unable to move in either direction because both of his arms were being pinioned to his side by either man. It irked the dark haired doctor to no end that Doflamingo and Kidd were being childish when it came to trying to gain his affections. And had begun making a sort of contest out of it, which ordinarily left both men alone at night.

Trafalgar flushed faintly. Expect for last night when the both of them had decided to set aside any arguments in favor of blowing his mind multiple times and not letting him get any rest. It was as if they had hoped to exhaust the anger out of him, which had more or less worked, until the morning, when Trafalgar woke to the two of them bitching about who got to take a shower with him.

Both men had had the bathroom door slammed in their face as the door locked. And no matter how much they tried to cajole the dark haired man into opening the door, Trafalgar refused to give in, even when he had heard the disappointed grumbles. The dark haired man didn't feel bad about denying either of them. They had ruined Trafalgar's good mood from all of the sex from the night before. And right now, pinned between them on the couch, they were threatening to drive him from the house altogether to kip, perhaps, on the hospital roof. Not that it would keep either of them from looking for him.

Kidd pressed up against Trafalgar's side snugly and held his lover's arm tightly as he scowled over at Doflamingo, "Hands off, you son of a bitch. He's mine." The redhead's trailed his hand along Trafalgar's arm, as if trying to annoy the other man.

Doflamingo grinned as he pressed his large frame up against Trafalgar as well, and leaned his face closer to the other man's as he addressed Kidd, "We're dead, so we can share, can't we?" Doflamingo turned his head and breathed against Trafalgar's ear as his tongue darted out and licked the earrings, "Isn't that right, Law? I know you still feel something for me, even if you're still in denial about it."

Kidd bored a hole in Doflamingo's head with his eyes as he growled and bumped his head against Trafalgar's possessively, "Only 'cause you're touching him, so stop it!" Kidd grunted as Doflamingo's free hand shoved him away and sent him backward onto the couch with a curse.

Doflamingo grinned as he gathered Trafalgar into his arms and looped one arm around his lower back to prevent escape as the other hand snuck up beneath Trafalgar's shirt to tease the skin beneath. Doflamingo rested his head on the dark haired man's shoulder and grinned at the small moan that left the man on his lap. Doflamingo kissed the side of Trafalgar's throat lightly and grinned triumphantly at Kidd as if to say 'I told you so'.

Kidd grumbled something as he sat back up and pressed himself up against Trafalgar's chest, sandwiching the dark haired man between himself and Doflamingo. Before Trafalgar could protest, Kidd's hand dug into the hair at the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

Trafalgar struggled free after being released from the kiss, and, despite breathing hard and became, frustratingly enough, very aroused. However, he was also incredibly upset, which trumped the aroused feeling for the time being. Without a word, Trafalgar elbowed Doflamingo hard in the abdomen as he shoved Kidd's nearest shoulder, his voice a snarl, "Would you both stop it?" Trafalgar glanced over his shoulder at the older man, "Have you forgotten that your brother is in the room as well, Doflamingo-ya?"

Doflamingo cast a glance Corazon's way and grinned at him. He answered Trafalgar as he studied his brother, "If he doesn't like it he can always leave the room. No one is making him stay here against his will." Doflamingo grunted as the dark haired man elbowed him again, before the older man caught the arm and brought it up to kiss Trafalgar's hand. "Corazon knows how I and your little redheaded lover feel about you." Doflamingo smirked, "Especially after last night."

Trafalgar colored again as Doflamingo continued to kiss his hand, before he responded heatedly, "I am not comfortable with the two of you doing this in front of Cora..." The dark haired man's demand went unheard as Doflamingo began to nuzzle along the side of his throat and Kidd started to trail both hands up beneath his shirt. Trafalgar was not at all comfortable at putting on such a show, and in front of Corazon of all people. Trafalgar wriggled a little, embarrassed that he had an audience, and cast a hopeful glance Corazon's way, silently asking for help with a desperate look in his eyes. There was something as having too much affection, and Kidd and Doflamingo were smothering him in it in an attempt to get a response, and Trafalgar needed to get away from it for a brief time.

Corazon tilted his head, as if considering the unspoken request, before he rose and approached the couch.

Doflamingo and Kidd left off what they were doing as they noticed Corazon standing right in front of them. Neither had noticed the other's approach given that they had been currently occupied with Trafalgar.

"What the hell do you want?" Kidd growled, suspicious of Corazon's intentions, even if Trafalgar had assured him that Corazon was not interested in him at all in the way that Kidd and Doflamingo were.

Corazon offered a hint of a smile, before he moved in and swiftly scooped Trafalgar up into his arms and carried him toward the front door.

Doflamingo and Kidd rose in an instant, though they ended up fighting over who would get to go through the front door after Corazon and Trafalgar first.

Corazon was already walking down the sidewalk across the street from the house by the time Doflamingo and Kidd got outside. Corazon wore a genuine smile when he heard Trafalgar let out a real laugh as he reached up to wrap his arms around the taller man's neck.

Trafalgar was silent for a moment, though he appeared to be more amused than anything about what was going on right now. The dark haired man was more amused than anything right now. Trafalgar was quiet a moment longer before he tilted his head up to look at Corazon, "Do you feel better now?" Trafalgar saw the smile beneath the makeup, since he was close enough now to make the distinction.

"Yes." Corazon said softly. He continued to walk along the sidewalk, and while neither of them noticed that they passed by Kidd and Trafalgar's crew, they did hear their laughter. They obviously provided a curious sight, and it was all the more amusing by the sight of Kidd and Doflamingo doing their best to pursue them.

Law settled back in Corazon's arms for the ride, a smirk on his features. He did not notice that Corazon look around. If he searched for something with his eyes, it was obvious that he did not find what it was he was looking for. But even if Corazon's mind was elsewhere, the quiet man was content for the first time in a long while.

And now it was only a matter of time before the last part of the deal Corazon had made would happen. He wasn't sure if it had been a good idea, but he knew that sustaining this place in the land of the dead for them took an enormous amount of energy, and Corazon didn't want the being responsible for any loss of strength. Corazon was distracted from his thoughts as he heard the dark haired man in his arms speak.

Trafalgar spoke with a small smile as he tugged one of the strands of the other man's hood, "Go faster."

Corazon returned Trafalgar's smile as he let out a small laugh of his own and broke into a run, which prompted the other two men behind them to give chase.

"What the fuck! Let go of Trafalgar!"

"Dammit Corazon, what the hell are you doing?"

-x-

The time seemed to stretch on forever, but he knew that it was not going to last.

Corazon was, however, had seen the signs that indicated that change was coming, and soon. He glanced up in the direction of Kidd and Trafalgar's room, at the upper floor of the house, and hoped that he had made the right decision for everyone.

Only time would tell if everything had gone according to plan. Corazon could only wait, and hope that there would be no interference from outside parties.

-x-

The shadowy figures watched as the group of four abruptly vanished from the realm of the dead. It was like a magic trick. Now you see them, now you don't. One of the figures had yet to figure out just how it all worked, but it was rather interesting to watch in the meantime.

The first figure ventured to speak fist as they snorted derisively, "I still don't know why we couldn't just leave them here. Isn't that easier then wiping clean some memories and letting them live again? That's cheating, isn't it?"

"They would have ceased to exist otherwise. Due to the deal I made all that time ago, they would never have been able to remain here any longer. The deal would have been voided if they had remained." The second figure stated, as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then let 'em die and come back as something else. Why interfere?" The first figure shook their head, "It's boring if they get what they want."

"And you haven't ever felt the need to get what you want." It wasn't a question.

"I guess you got me there. I most certainly 'got' what I wanted." And they most certainly had, even if it had been a roundabout way of getting to it.

The second figure turned away, "And yet you abuse the power you have obtained at every turn, Teech."

"It's Blackbeard, And hey, if Doflamingo never messed me up by possessing me that one time, I'd never have gotten all this power." Blackbeard watched the other figure walk away, "You goin' back to keep an eye on things?"

"My sons need to be watched over. I am not going to let them be swayed by someone corrupted by power."

Blackbeard laughed as the other figure vanished from view, "Zehahaha! That's a good one! But you know there'll always be someone that will be lured by power, and I'll be waiting for that time!"

After all, he knew that the temptation to live forever was something that most people would be falling over themselves, and others, to obtain.

And that would be when the fun would begin all over again.

-x-

_He couldn't breathe._

_Kidd couldn't breathe and it was all his fault. The water had made its way into his mouth, and the pressure of the hand in his hair held him beneath the surface, denying air. The redhead flailed around to no avail, unable to get any purchase because his feet couldn't touch the bottom of the pond. Then all at once, he was brought to the surface, where he gasped for air and spluttered as the water forced its way out of his airway._

_Kidd glanced up with a glare to meet the gaze of his lover, who he was unsurprised to find smirking at him. The redhead coughed whatever water was left in his mouth, and drawled irritably, "You are such an asshole, Trafalgar." He felt the hand tighten in his hair._

_"Is that so? I guess I'll have to punish you for awhile longer." The dark haired man commented._

_"Fuck you. Why the hell would me jumping you in bed earlier make you want to punish me?" Kidd wondered aloud, though he could recall doing no such thing. At least not that day, now that he was thinking about it._

_"Your loss."_

_That didn't make any sense, but before Kidd could question the dark haired man further, Trafalgar shoved his head beneath the surface of the pond. Kidd flailed once more, but again, he could do nothing to free himself, and was forced to take in some more water. And this time around, Trafalgar showed no sign of letting him surface. Kidd let out a panicked cry that merely allowed more water into his mouth, his consciousness edging away the longer he was kept underwater._

_What the hell did Trafalgar think he was doing...?_

Kidd woke abruptly with a harsh gasp as he lurched upright, ready to try and swim up when he realized that he was sitting on his bed. The redhead blinked confusedly. A dream? Was that what it had been? But it had seemed so real. Kidd flinched as an arm touched his own, only remotely calmed when it was Trafalgar that spoke.

"Did someone have a nightmare?" Trafalgar asked lightly, a teasing smile on his face as he trailed his hand along Kidd's upper arm.

Kidd scowled at the tone as he turned around to face his dark haired lover, his hand reaching up to seize Trafalgar's own. He studied him silently for a moment before he spoke, "Why the hell were you trying to drown me in the pond yesterday?" Kidd wasn't sure what to make of the confused look that Trafalgar now wore. The redhead felt confused himself at the other's response.

"We don't have a pond, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar tilted his head to get a better look at the man next to him, "Are you sure it wasn't just a bad dream?"

"Maybe." Kidd said, though he still felt that it had been a real memory of something that had happened. If not yesterday but another day. Kidd felt Traflagar's free hand go to his chest and decided that he could think about weird dreams another time. The redhead gave a hint of a smile as he let go of the dark haired man's hand, "Are you sure you want to start something this early? We might wake Doflamingo and his brother up."

Trafalgar shook his head, "I'm sure they are already up, and you know that neither of them really care so long as we keep it down." With a smirk, the dark haired man gave Kidd's chest a shove so that the other man would lay back down. "Do you want to see if they are up?"

Kidd wore a disgruntled look as he reached up and trailed his hands along Trafalgar's forearms, "Not particularly. Remember the last time? Doflamingo came in and tried to join in."

Trafalgar's smirk deepened a bit, "I wasn't about to complain at that point in time." He nudged his knee up against Kidd's crotch, and smiled as the redhead let out a frustrated groan. "I wouldn't say no to a threesome."

"With Doflamingo? No fucking way. That guy is a crazy. And you know I don't want that son of a bitch anywhere near you." Kidd grumped, as he tugged Trafalgar down so that he could wrap his arms around the dark haired man's back, "He is around you far too much as it is. Why you agreed to let him and his brother live with us, I'll never know."

Trafalgar pulled back a little to look Kidd in the eye with a frown, "Who I choose to be around isn't your business. And you did agree to it, don't lie." When he saw that Kidd still looked disgruntled, Trafalgar added with a hint of warning, "If you want to be oxygen deprived, there is always a bathtub that I could utilize if you are going to continue to bitch about our living arrangements."

Kidd laughed as he leaned up and kissed Trafalgar, "I'll pass."

"Maybe I'll surprise you later." Trafalgar said slyly as he sneaked his hands down along Kidd's side, only to be interrupted by a voice yelling at them from the lower floor.

"Get the hell out of bed and save the sex for later! You had enough of it last night!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kidd roared in the direction of the door, even as he felt Trafalgar get up from where he had laid over him and out of the bed. Kidd turned his attention back to his dark haired lover, "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs, as should you. We better not keep Doflamingo-ya waiting, or he might slip some laxative into your pancakes." Trafalgar commented as he pulled on a shirt and slipped into some pants.

Kidd reluctantly got out of bed and decided that he didn't give a fuck that he only wore pants. It was his house. He could go bare-chested if he wanted to. "Why the hell do you let him cook in the first place?" Kidd griped as he followed Trafalgar out of the room, "He might poison me one of these days so he can have you all to himself."

"Because Corazon burnt half the kitchen down the last time, which resulted in expensive renovations. As for myself, I am not always awake early enough to do it." Trafalgar's lips quirked as he looked over his shoulder at Kidd, "And you are simply too lazy to do any cooking until lunch or dinner."

Kidd grumbled something under his breath but chose not to argue further as he followed Trafalgar into the kitchen. He did, however, scowl at the massive grin aimed his way as he went over to a chair at the table, Doflamingo's amused query aimed directly at him.

"Did you two have fun last night?"

"Do you mean at the concert or in the bedroom when we got back?" Trafalgar asked mildly as he sat down.

Doflamingo perched on a second, smaller table in the kitchen but gave no response other than to wear a wider smile.

Kidd tossed a spoon at him, though Doflamingo merely caught it by the handle and struck him in the forehead in retaliation. Kidd fell backward with a curse, "Fuck."

Corazon had his back to the table as he silently cleaned the dishes from the night before, but Trafalgar could see that his shoulders were shaking in silent mirth as Doflamingo and Kidd began to go at each other verbally. Trafalgar more or less tuned it out, as he did not feel like listening to the childish bickering. In fact, he had all but become immune to it once he had realized that neither man was going to try and attack the other. Trafalgar sighed at that thought and turned his attention back to Doflamingo and Kidd, as he figured that he should make sure that it didn't turn to fighting today.

Corazon finished up with the dishes, but had any of the other men looked at him, they would have seen him lose the faint smile he had worn as he caught sight of something outside.

Trafalgar did, however, hear the soft exclamation, and he glanced over his shoulder at Corazon as he questioned him, "What is it?"

Corazon half turned to regard Trafalgar, before he simply rolled his shoulder in a shrug.

Doflamingo tapped the dark haired man on the shoulder, "Did you forget? He doesn't speak much." The older man grinned, "Did your little redhead screw you so much last night that you forgot? The both of you were quite vocal..."

Kidd bristled at the comment, but ended up going quiet for a moment as something crossed his mind. It was something that had been bothered him since he had awoken from his dream minutes earlier. "Trafalgar?"

"Hm?" The dark haired man looked past Doflamingo to Kidd. He would let Doflamingo's question slide, for now. The underlying jealousy in the older man's tone amused him occasionally.

"Do you feel like...a lot happened, and you don't remember a damn thing about it?" Kidd questioned, poking his straw repeatedly into his drink, the food on his plate forgotten for the time being.

"Maybe you drank to much." Doflamingo commented with a laugh from where he lounged on the table nearby with a drink of his own.

Kidd fixed an annoyed look on the other man, "It's juice! How the fuck am I supposed to get drunk off that?"

"You'll find a way, I'm sure." Doflamingo said seriously, a smile ever present on his face as he sipped his drink. His smile slipped a little after a moment as he added, "And why am I even arguing with you in the first place? I don't even care that you are in the same house as me."

Traflagar absently reached out and grabbed Kidd's arm to prevent him from striking out at the older man.

Doflamingo chuckled as he spotted Corazon out of the corner of his eye, "Your hood is on fire. Again." How his brother managed it without any obvious flames in sight was a mystery he had yet to figure out, though he did not choose to do anything about it for the time being. He knew the other man would be fine.

The quieter of the two brothers hastily put out the small fire with a few swift pats of his hand, though he appeared to be unperturbed that it had caught fire in the first place. Instead, as soon as it was out, Corazon hunched over and retrieved the trash bag, which he tied off and carried to the front door as he hummed something under his breath.

Trafalgar had turned in time to watch the other man leave the house before he was again distracted as Doflamingo and Kidd began to bicker with one another. Trafalgar only half tuned into the conversation, as he was thinking about what Doflamingo had said about Corazon being quiet for the most part. But something about it bothered him. Made him second guess himself. Because Trafalgar could have sworn that he had heard Corazon speak before...

Was he mistaken?

-x-

Outside, Corazon continued to hum to himself as he tossed the trash away. Then, with a soft sigh, Corazon went around to the side of the house, where he would be out of view of the street and any pedestrians, and out of sight of the men in the house.

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Came the deep rumble from the tall man that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Corazon tilted his head slightly to look up at the other man, before he shook his head. "Is it done?" The hooded man asked, as he searched the other's face.

The older man, Whitebeard, nodded his head, "Yes, it is done. I'm sure you've noticed the changes already."

Corazon was silent, before he nodded and spoke softly again, "I have." He glanced around the immediate area, "We are...alive again?"

"It was a bit difficult to accomplish, but yes, you all are. And with that, our deal is complete..." Whitebeard was quiet for a moment, before he added, "Is this really what you want? You know they won't remember a lot. Only subliminal memories of what had happened after they had died the first time."

Corazon closed his eyes as nodded again. "Yes, it is." He wasn't about to change anything. He preferred it this way, as he knew that there was less of a chance for Trafalgar and Doflamingo to have another falling out. When Corazon opened his eyes again, he found that he was all alone.

Whitebeard was gone.

Corazon was silent as he checked to make sure, before he turned on his heel and headed back into the house. He paused in the front entry way, and rested a hand over his chest. He felt his heartbeat, and knew for a fact that now it was the real thing. Corazon dropped his hand. There was no need to bring that up with anyone else, as they would not remember. Deep down they would, but Corazon knew that it would do no good to bring any of that up. Straightening, Corazon turned, about to head into the kitchen, when he stopped in the doorway at the sight of Trafalgar standing there and staring at him.

As Doflamingo and Kidd were still in their own world arguing amongst one another, there was almost a calm between Trafalgar and Corazon as the former spoke.

"Is everything all right?" Trafalgar asked.

Corazon studied Trafalgar silently for a moment, before he cast a brief glance past the dark haired man to Doflamingo and Kidd. They all appeared to be happy, and none of them seemed to notice that a large chunk of their memories were no longer there as of this morning. They were all alive again and that was something that Corazon had not expected to actually happen, deal or no deal, as it had seemed so outlandish a concept. In return, however, he did remember everything that had happened. A necessary thing, he supposed, as if to remind him of all they had been through to get to this point, and to not lose it again by any of them doing something foolish.

"Cora?"

Corazon turned his attention back to Trafalgar and offered him a genuine smile as he nodded in response to the other's previous question. Everything was as it should be, even if he couldn't tell Trafalgar why.

Some things were better left unsaid, Corazon decided, as he entered the kitchen and sat down. He was immediately jostled by a slap on his shoulder by Doflamingo, though his brother's attention was diverted as Kidd made a move.

"Dammit Eustass-ya." Trafalgar hissed as the redhead grabbed him from behind in a hug. "Can't you wait until I've sat down?"

"Why didn't you say so?" Kidd grinned as he tugged the dark haired man backward and brought him over to his chair. Kidd held on as he sat down, and rested Trafalgar on his lap, "How's that?"

"You're an idiot." Trafalgar said in exasperation, though he rested his arms over Kidd's shoulders anyway, to show he wasn't really angry about the other's actions.

Corazon smiled at their antics, and was actually relieved that Doflamingo did not chose to take issue with what Kidd had done at the moment. It would be nice for a change to have a meal where it didn't develop into a feud of some kind. As Corazon idly twirled a fork and watched the other three men's interactions, the younger Donquixote brother decided that he had made the right decision all of those years ago. And because of it, they were now all free to live their lives that had once been torn apart by a string of unfortunate events and bad decisions.

Corazon supposed that certain memories could stand to be forgotten by all but him in return for something that had once been lost. He wouldn't have wanted Doflamingo, Trafalgar and Kidd to be burdened by those memories, many of them unpleasant. And Corazon knew that he would just smile whenever asked if anything was wrong, or if he was all right, because really, how could there be after everything that had happened? There wasn't anything that could ever truly bother or upset him about life.

Not anymore.

A fresh start was just what they needed. A second chance at life. Corazon felt, as he looked around, that he had all he could ask for and more, as he was able to live with the people that he cared about, and those he could come to care for. He no longer had to worry about what would happen to any of those in the house with him, as he knew they were no longer in any danger.

There was a surprising sense of peace that came with the loss of that worry that Corazon had held on to for such a long time. He could get used to that wonderful feeling of a life free of burden.

"Cora, are you spacing out again?" Doflamingo questioned teasingly as he lifted an arm up to block a punch from Kidd.

"Are you all right?" Trafalgar questioned again, from where he had slid onto his own seat. He more or less ignored the attempted violence less than a foot away from him as he waited for an answer.

There was a short silence in which Corazon stared at everyone present, before he did what he had decided he would do when asked if he were all right. Corazon flashed a smile, and let his companions make of it what they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this fic, if you were able to make it all the way to the end. I don't normally ask about what people thought of a story until after I finish it, so I will now. How was this fanfic as a whole? Structure-wise, mostly, as well as the plot and the pacing. I realize there was definitely OOC mixed in with IC stuff (it being AU and all). I'm just curious how it was to read overall, since it's a massive fic and I haven't actually tried to sustain a plot for so long. Or maybe what was good/bad/ok and why, what seemed to work/not work and why. Areas that seemed to drag, etc. Stuff like that. I'm kind of curious since I tend to be biased toward what I write and might not notice something because I was the one that typed/edited it.
> 
> And again, any feedback/critique/comments of the sort about what you thought of this fanfic would be very helpful to me, even if it is something simple, as I think that there are areas that I need to improve on as a writer-and not just for fanfiction. This fic was kind of an experiment for me, but hopefully it was fun/interesting to read all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, and all the chapters actually have names for them, oddly enough. Pretty much the only fic I bothered with to do it in order to keep track of what happens where. And I think I put up all the warnings. Might have missed something.
> 
> Oh, and FYI, since I'm editing it/revising it, I'm changing Kidd to Kid, because two d's is starting to look weird to me now. And I kept the original post date for the first chapter, but future revisions on the chapters will be on days I revise them.


End file.
